Author : Brent Curtis Potter
Release : 2005
Genre : Holocaust
Kind : eBook
Book Rating : 343/5 ( reviews)
Book Synopsis Elements of Self-Destruction: A Thematic Hermeneutic Study by : Brent Curtis Potter
Download or read book Elements of Self-Destruction: A Thematic Hermeneutic Study written by Brent Curtis Potter. This book was released on 2005. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This phenomenological study examined the ontic and ontological vicissitudes of self-destruction. Why are humans, who are motivated by self-preservation, motivated to engage in behaviors that threaten and even extinguish their existence? The present study has given thought to this question and examined the phenomenon of self-destruction through the perspectives of empirical psychology, psychoanalysis, analytical psychology as well as existential-phenomenological psychology. A thematic hermeneutic method was employed to explore the phenomenon of self-destruction, as the subject matter asks for a method in which reflection and dialectic can increase awareness and understanding. Regarding the hermeneutic aspect of this study, I first presented the predominant themes of the study. Each theme was a chapter revolving around the central theme of self-destructiveness. These themes included (1) the emerging understanding of self-destructiveness in culture, religion, philosophy and psychology, (2) Bion’s investigation into the self-destructive capacity of the mind, (3) Heidegger’s ontology of Being and the Enframing of technology, (4) identifying and delineating the ‘who’ who most experiences the impact of human-to-human destructiveness in out contemporary culture. The phenomenon of ‘disposable’ children was delineated as well as other ways children suffer from contemporary self-destructiveness, such as child trafficking. A case vignette presented a case of one such ‘disposable’ child to offer a more salient understanding of what such children often have to endure to survive. This study then presented the nature of the relationship between the essence of technology and the essence of self-destructiveness. The dissertation outlined the ways Heidegger and Bion may benefit from each other’s perspectives on this score. It also delineated the shadow of Being and the seduction of self-destructiveness. The study presented three examples of this: pornography, manifest destiny and the holocaust. The notation ‘X’ was suggested as another way to give thought to the phenomenon of self-destruction and as an organizing sign for the many elements explored in the study. This dissertation concluded by discussing the necessity of having a relationship to the phenomenon of of self-destructiveness without it holding sway.
