what is health ch1
| what is health: changing perspectives | models of health and illness:health means different things to different people according to culture, history, social class or status. | mind body relationships:Hippocrates considered the mind and body to be one unit. Viewed the body in terms of the four humors.When these were in balance health ensued however when out of balance pathology ensued.Galen saw that there was physical underlying all a including temperament. The mind was not thought to play a role in pathology.by the Middle Ages health was seen as spiritual and illness as gods punishment. The mind was seen to work in parallel.Health was then seen as organic and physiological.In 17th century Descartes said mind and body separate entities And that interaction between the two was possiible. Dualism.
mind considered non material. Body was material. Physicians were guardians of the body the machine. Theologians acted as guardians of the mind. Communication between the two was thought to operate through the pineal gland. biomedical model of illness: that a illness has a biological pathology that can be cured through medicine. assumes direct causal relationships between symptoms and illness. biosocial model of illness: illness can be viewed objectively and subjectively. this brings into the equation the minds role in illness. challenging dualism: freud came up with the idea of the unconscious mind. |
| Behavious and health | This century there has been a downturn in infectious diseases and a swing upwards in diseases associated with behaviours like smoking obesity etc. | |
| Individual cultural and lifespan perspectives on health. | People define health as a general well being, b absence of disease and c ability to do ie fitness. Health is therefore related to feeling, symptom and performance.Older people are more likely to define health in problems where young people behaviour.social representations of health.health as the absence of illness and the gaining of performance.
health is perceptive, and relative and can be shaped. World Health Organisation definition of health: a state of complete physical, mental and social well being and not merely the absence of disease. |
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| Cross cultural perspectives on health | varies across cultures, across cultures there are implications on labelling something as a sickness as against a deviancy.some cultures have a collectivist belief in health and wellbeing. in western culture its individualistic.cultures that find meaning through self and other cultures that find meaning through relationship to others. | |
| Lifespan ageing and beliefs about health | Developmental theories:Interaction between three factors 1) learning, Experience and Maturation. Erikson described the 8 life stages. its important that these stages are taken into account when examining health and illness perceptions and behaviour.
Piaget developed a maturational framework: Sensorimotor and preoperational stage children.: usually prescribe health in terms of magical qualities ie incomprehencion, phenomenenoism, contagion. Concrete operational stage children: Illness concept contamination and internalisation adolescence and formal operation thought: abstract based on interactions with people and environment ie physiological, psychophysiological adulthood: comprised of various transitional periods. Psychological relationships to health: Peoples perceptions affect health and coping strategies as well as their reactions. |
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| What is Health Psychology | The scientific study of mental and behavioural function.
Psychology aims to describe explain and predict, intervene control or modify processes. Steps: observe, define problem, collect data, analyse data, develop a theory, test the theory. What connects psychology to health: people have beliefs about health and are often emotional about it, psychology explores why some people get sick and others dont, and their experiences of the same, why some people act healthy and others dont. the main goal of health psychology is the promotion and maintenance of health, improving healthcare systems and health policy, the prevention and treatment of illness. to look at the causes of illness eg vulnerabilities and risk factors. Health psychology and other fields: Medical psychology:- mechanistic medical model Behavioural medicine:- combining psychology, sociology and health education, the development and integration of behavioural and biomedical knowledge. classical and operat conditioning. these principles are applied to prevention and rehabilitation. Psychosomatic medicine:- refers to mind and body being involved in illness. Illness with no physical evidence is known as psychogenic. Medical sociology:- close relationship between psychology and sociology attempt to understand health and illness through various social factors. Takes a macro approach. Health Psychology:- considers biological, social, and psychological factors Four approaches: Clinical health psychology, assessment and treatment. Public health psychology, immunisation, epidemics and health education. Community health psychology, action research achieving healthy groups and communities. Critical health psychology, opening up a discussion about the area of psychology. |
Trauma Types and Characteristics
| History:…………… | stressed individuals were labelled with Adjustment reaction to adult life and transient situational reaction, gross stress reaction. Individuals whose symptoms continued beyond the specific stressor were seen to have other illnesses. PTSD was a turning point investing research into stress and trauma. |
| Definition of Trauma: | Most dsm catagories do not refer to causation, however PTSD requires the presence of a “causation” each dsm has further refined definitions. generally this involves the experiencing in some way of a stressor that causes fear helplessness or horror.
ptsd according to the dsm must be experienced (symptoms) in response to one stressor which may be any kind of horror or such situations as childhood sexual abuse or war, but does not apply to multiple stressors contributing eg 5 counts of rape in the year 2010. the dsm has also removed psychological trauma as a valid trauma in relation to ptsd. it can be common for victims to be numb and experience having few negative affects until their numbness wanes and the full extent is appreciated. due to the way the DSM is linked to the condition many individuals would not fit the specific criteria and may instead be classified anxious. |
| Specific Stressors Known to produce Post Traumatic Stress | whilst there are many events not classified as PTSD there are events known to cause PTSD like symptoms, whilst also satisfying the criteria that they are within the range of normal experience.
trauma as the result of another person substantially affects persons greater then non human events like cyclones. |
| Disasters | disasters: large scale potentially injury/death inducing experienced by a significant number of people. with injury, death, property loss affecting the incidence of PTSD. |
| Mass Violence against non combatants | such as terrorist attacks, bombings etc. |
| Large-scale Transportation Accidents | airline crashes, derailments, maritime, especially plane crash survivors have higher incidence of PTSD. |
| Motor Vehicle Accidents | which can lead to ptsd and phobic avoidance of driving |
| Emergency Worker exposure to trauma | such as rescue workers and firefighters as well as a host of other professionals who come into contact with trauma. |
| War | ptsd was in part a result of a response to diagnosing those who survived the vietnam war. |
| Rape and sexual assault | any sexual contact or overture that is not consented to, which does not include where the person cannot give consent eg drunk, asleep etc. and can include ptsd up to 14 yrs after event. |
| Intimate Partner Violence | DV included is physical, sexual, property, pets and psychologically. |
| Stalking | continually following or harassing to terrorise frighten or threaten. |
| Torture | defines torture in terms of refined acts to incite information, confession or as punishment for an act. but does not include broader definitions of torture like sadism. |
| Prostitution and sex trafficking | trafficked and non trafficked individuals, produces very high levels of PTSD |
Positive Psychology- Ch 1 An Introduction to Positive Psychology
Introduction to positive psychology:
Historically psychology has relied on focus of problems instead of strength building. seligman in 1998 took psych in a new direction, toward strengths based therapy. using theory research and intervention to understand positive, adaptive and creative and emotionally fullfilling aspects of human behaviour.
positive psychology looks at what works, whats improving and whats right. Focuses on what is right and how to actualise. focusing on what helps people thrive.
The dimensions of positive psychology:
Focuses on three broad areas of experiencing,
1) positive subjective states, [positive emotions like happiness, love, contentment etc as well as thoughts, optimism, hope and laughter]
2) positive individual traits, [such as behaviours, courage, persistance, wisdom, as well as creative potential and competitive drive]
3) positive institutions. [eg families and work environments]
The scope of positive psychology:
Covers a wide range of areas such as attitudes, behaviours, spirituality, and all areas a person can and does function well.
Basic themes of positive psychology:
what is good: things that contribute to a happy life, enrich life, make it worth living, foster strong character. in positive psychology involves three elements.
a) connections to others, [ability to love, altruistic concerns, ability to forgive, and forge spiritual connections]
b) positive individual traits, [ability to play, be creative, courage and humility]
c) life regulation qualities, [individuality, autonomy, healthy self control and exercising wisdom]
Positive emotions are important:
Research has shown that positive psychology can help people gain awareness which helps with psychological problems. Additionally wellbeing, or a lack of now can have far reaching consequences for the future wellbeing.
Some researchers believe that adult distress occurs when adults cannot recollect joy. people who are more positive have increased wellbeing, physical health and immunity.
People can flourish and thrive:
Investigates what people do correctly in life.whilst past research dictates that people are the result of biology, conditioning, motives, and that humans are moving more toward the future then the past. part of positive psychology is examining what highly thriving people do. examining the positive.
four factor model
wellbeing and mental illness.
flourishing: high wellbeing low mental illness
struggling: high wellbeing, high mental illness
Floundering: low wellbeing high mental illness
languishing: low wellbeing low mental illness
researchers see complete mental health as high emotional well being, high psychological wellbeing, high social wellbeing and low mental illness.
social wellbeing- 1) acceptance, 2) actualisation, 3)contribution, 4) coherence, 5) integration.
compassion and empathy are important:
whilst behaviourists such as watson believed we were a collection of drives and selfish biologigal motives others believed in our empathy and compassion such as jung and adler. Even animals show compassion, openess and social connectedness.
People need positive social relationships:
embraces the idea of social environments. cultures also vary greatly when it comes to idealising and cultivating as well as teaching their young about the universal pursuit of happiness. There is differences between cultures that view happiness as an emotion that can be achieved by individuals through effort and those cultures who view happiness in a collectivist way.
Strengths and virtues are important:
virtues, values and character development. Psychology cannot dictate what virtues should be had or the right way to be happy, but only investigate virtues values behaviours and the results they have on ones life.
Independence of positive and negative emotions:
Many researchers believe that positive and negative emotions exist in a dependency and that neccesarily where negative emotions do not exist positive emotions will take its place. however the research shows both positive and negative emotions are independent. just eliminating negativity does not promote virtues values and capacity to flourish.
Negative emotions are still important:
not to limit study, but expand the topics of study. Negative emotions can be important for survival. Recognition and expression of negative emotions assist understanding and growth. The tragedies can enrich our lives.
The science of well being:
positive psychology follows scientific rigour. The beginnings of positive psychology were with analyses and detailed case studies. These hypothesis were theto moved into the lab but without much success. Positive psychology has taken a new turn with an approach of knowledge developed in the lab and then adapted to real life.
A short history of well being in the western world:
Headonism: pleasure as the major component to the good life and happiness. This being the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of Suffering.
The early Hebrews: Judaism, the development of a relationship with god, this involved prohibition on bad virtues. This is called the divine command theory of happiness. Happiness is found by living in accordance with supreme being.
The Greeks:
happiness could be discovered through logic and rationality. This was saying that neither god or society determined happiness, but the individual had the capacity to decide what it was for themselves.
Socrates: true happiness can only be achieved through self awareness and wisdom. He went further to define that happiness could only be found in universal truths not emotions or the senses.
plato: true happiness is seeing past the illusion of reality and discovering the real experience. Also involving inner examination behind motivations.
Aristotle: believed that the path to happiness was in taming and subduing the emotions and having rigid self discipline. In this way logic and reason is sought.
One goal was to find the golden mean between the extremes, a moderate life.
Eudaimonia: completeness constituting pure joy. Adhered to a virtue theory of happiness, ie if you could cultivate certain virtues you would result in being happy.
The epicureans: seeking secure existance through avoiding unnecesary pain and cultivating moderate pleasure.
The stoics: material posessions and emotions were subject to change therefore happiness is found in doing ones duty, and accepting ones place. teaches us to work within the confines of our present existence.
Four major theories of the good life: contemplation, active, fatalistic, hedonism. also heroic and saintly life.
Early Christianity and the middle ages: this change brought about salvation as a method of happiness.
The virtue theory in the middle ages: seven deadly sins. v the natural virtues.
maimonedes: advocated aesthetics as pleasurable and valued mindfulness.
Mysticism: religious devoutness as a path to happiness.
The renaissance to the age of enlightenment: The rise of individualism, this brought the rise of science, the understanding that we were capable of deciding our own truth and path.
The rising importance of the social world: utilitarianism which is the idea that the good of the greatest is more important then the good of the one.
hedonic calculus is the idea that happiness can be measured by examining the ratio of negatives and positives in life.
The rise of democracy: elevated the individual to a stus higher then royalty wih the personal power to decide their own happiness. happiness became a right as well as a personal choice.
Romanticism and the 19th century: the ability to feel emotions intensly was considered primary to the pursuit of happiness. this led to existentialism, the idea that happiness is found in authenticity. with this individualism came romantic love and the idea of self determination.
the twentieth century: william james was the forefather of psychology, he was interested in alternative experiencing and influenced humanistic psychology. maslow was the founder of this and had many of the same goals as positive psychology.
Holism and western modernism has brought with it buddhism, acupuncture etc alternative therapies.
Kupperman:
Lessons on wellbeing from history: 1) simple headonism is not an adequate path, 2) hap[piness should not be the sole criteria for wellbeing. 3) suppressing emotions does not eliminate them. 4) a stress free life without any challenges is not the desired life. 5) virtues and character are important to the good life. 6) its not neccesary to be perfect to be be a good and admirable person.
Haidt
1) The human mind is divided into parts which may conflict, 2)training the mind is important to wellbeing, 3) pleasure comes from the journey not the destination, 4) it is possible for adversity to make u stronger 5) we need to rise above tendencies to selfishness, ego, judgement and bias. 6) positive social relationships are important. 7) love and emotional attachment are important to wellbeing. 8) virtues are important to wellbeing 9) spirituality and trancendence are important to wellbeing. 10) having sense and meaning is important, coming from engagement, importance and integration.
Chapter 12- Leadership in Organisational Settings
competency, contingency, transformational, implicit
Leadership is about influencing, motivating, and enabling others to contribute to the effectiveness and success of an organisation.
Shared Leadership: employees informally sharing leadership. Calls for collaboration rather then competition.
Competency perspective of leadership:
Personality, self concept, Integrity, motivation, knowledge of the business, cognitive and practical intelligence, emotional intelligence.
Big five personality dimensions extroversion and onscientiousness are big predictor of leadership.
Self concept: high, complex and internally consistent. Internal locus of control.
Drive: high need for achievement. Inspires curiosity and animation.
Integrity: truth and consistency, honesty, ethical conduct.
Leadership motivation: motivated to lead others. Strong need for socialised power. Contrasting with personalised power. Effective leaders thrive on competition.
Knowledge of the business: tacit and explicit knowledge.
Cognitive and practical intelligence: above average cognitive ability.
Emotional intelligence: high ei
Authentic leadership- how well leaders are aware of, feel comfortable with, and act consistently with self concept. Knowing and being yourself. Leaders are reflective introspective know themselves well and learn about self. As well as receptivity to feedback.
Knowing self leads to life long passion stemming often from a critical earlier event. Also involves acting in ways that are consistent with self concept. Decisions and behaviours
Develop own style, and place self in situations where that style is most effective.
Narcissistic leaders: charisma is associated with narcissism. Can be good but also has a dark side such as lack of empathy, grandiosity and misdirection.
Practical implications and limitations of the competency perspective: leadership is far too complex to have a list of common traits. Leaders are good leaders because of their relationship with their followers. Competencies indicate only leadership potential not leadership ability.
On the other side of self monitoring is that effective leaders have high rather then low self monitoring which gives them the ability to adapt readily when required to the needs of others.
Authentic leadership may result in inflexibility and lead to the perception of insensitivity.
Contingency perspective of leadership:
Theory that the best leadership is the one that adapts and is both flexible and insightful.
Path goal theory of leadership. Roots in expectancy theory. Dictates that those who do their job well get rewarded more then those who do their job poorly. Advocates servant leadership. This view does not use the top down power theory but rather sees themselves as coaches stewards, and facilitators. The role of the leader in this scenario is to enable the person to do agreat job and facilitate.
Paths goal leadership:
Four leadership styles- directive, supportive, participative and achievement oriented.
This theory states that leaders are able to select the most appropriate style which may be a combination of a few.
Contingencies: mediating those styles are 1) employee characteristics and 2) characteristics of the work environment.
1- skill and experience, locus of control.
2- task structure, team dynamics.
Other contingency theories: situational leadership style, leadership adapts to the readiness of the follower. Comprises four styles, telling, seling, participating and delegating.
Fieldlers contingency model:
Sdepends on whether the persons natural leadership style is matched to the situation. Style depends on the level of power and control in the situation.
Leader member relations, task structure, position power.
Changing the situation to match the leaders natural style.
Indigenous peoples, law ways
Kaldowinyeri
we believe we are decended from dreaming beings.
sun: sun made a little girl that looked over the world.
law has the ability to transcend all human behaviour.
aboriginals are custodians of the land but have not been given the access to perform their custodial duties.
robbed by the term and legal sanctionof terra nullius.
the law report
Aboriginal law
Western people have triangle thinking as opposed to aboriginal pattern thinking.
Sharing system, pattern thinking.The pattern of the land.
The pattern is not a heirachy the pattern is a system of thinking.
Everyone gives and recieves in a structured way that comes from the land.
Triangle thinking is power down, characterised by ownership and ruleship.
We are custodians of the land.
Only fully initiated aboriginal can really communicate the law and the truth.
chapter 11-conflict and negotiation in the workplace.
Is conflict good or bad:
Whilst conflict can cause stress, tension and discomfort as well as disrupt productivity and motivation, however it can also do the opposite if it is at the optimal level.
Conflict process model:
1. Sources of conflict
2. Perceptions leads to emotions.
3. Manifest conflict (behaviours)
4. Conflict outcomes
Where conflicts start:
Task or relationship focused.
The stronger the level of debate And the more the self is threatened the more likely conflict will occur.
Framing conflict
-Interests based
-Rights based
-Power based
Sources of conflict in organisations
-incompatible goals
-differentiation: differences in ppl, values, goals etc. produced by age gender culture etc.
-interdependence: intererference with each others goals increases chances of conflict.
-scarce resources
-ambiguous rules
-communcation problems: lack of opportunity, leads to shortcut thinking. conflict reduces the motivation to communicate.
Individual differences in conflict resolution: conflict less likely in teams with high EI. we often select action that follows one of two paths, maximising out goal achievement, or preserving our relationship with the other person.
-interpersonal conflict handling styles
problem solving win win, involving firm flexibility and trade offs.
forcing: win-lose orientation- ensure good alternatives avail and also develop small number of strong arguments and keep repeating them.
-choosing the best conflict handling style
-contingencies and problems
Resolving conflict through negotiation
negotiation when two parties try to merge their divergent goals by negotiating the terms of their interdependence.
tactics, deal design, scope.
-building good deals in negotiation: balance collaborative and competitive behaviours. collaboration helps to create value. competition helps to claim value.
-negotiating fundamentals: set limits, resistance point. these are the upper and lower bounds.
assess power both in terms of other options and avalability.
-creating and claiming value: understanding the other negotiator, and getting what you want.
managing the deal: first offers and concessions, first offers are strategically good when u have the knowledge about the item.
managing information: negotiations are assisted by the investigative approach.
managing the process: time pressures can force more concessions and created heated conflict.
Beyond the deal: Relationship building, Reputation, and ethical negotiating.
ethical negotiating: problems, traditional competitive bargaining, misrepresnttation, false promises, attacking opponents network, inappropriate information gathering, strategic misrepresntation of emotions.
Culture and conflict, influences on the way we negotiate come from our cultural background.
-individualism V collectivism, power distance ratio, and high low context communication styles.
Gender and conflict: woman more oriented to preserving relationships, woman achieve better outcomes then men when treating negotiation like problem solving.
Resolving conflict through third party interventions:
arbitration, inquisition, mediation.
Choosing the best intervention strategy: depends on the situation and type of dispute.
Organisational approaches to conflict management:
Emphasisiing subordinate roles- finding common goals.
reducing value differences
improving communication and understanding
reducing interdependence
increasing resources
clarifying rules and procedures
establishing a positive climate
Alternative dispute resolution
Chapter 8- Team Dynamics
Team and informal groups: mutually accountable for goals, percieve self as a social entity within organisation.
Types of teams in organisations: departmental, production/service, self directed, advisory, task force, skunkworks, virtual, communities.
informal groups: humans are social beings driven to bond. we define ourselves by our group associations, accomplishment of tasks that cannot be achieved alone.
Informal groups and organisational outcomes: builds trust and mutual understanding.also increases employees social capital. group association mediates the effects of stress.
advantages and disadvantages of teams: under the right conditions teams make better decisions, develop better products and services, also people are more motivated, we benchmark ourself against others.
the challenges of teams: suited to complex work however they also have process losses being the the time to maintain and develop the team at the expense of the work.
Brookes law: mythical man month-adding further people to a project may slow it down.
social loafing: when people work slower in teams then alone. this can be
a model of team effectiveness: effective when it benefits the the organisation, its members and its own survival.
Team effectiveness model: organisational and team environment, Team design, Team processes, Team effectiveness.
organisational and team environment: everything that influences it. such as the environment, open plan is better.
team design elements: characteristics, task independence, process lines are sequntial interdependence.
-pooled interdependence
-sequential interdependence
-reciprocal interdependence
Team size: 5-7 ppl our brains are designerd this way.
Team composition: co operating co ordinating communicating, comforting and conflict resolution all associated with conscientiousness and extroversion as well as emotional intelligence.
Team diversity: make better decisions, broader pool of technical competencies, provide better representation,
opossing influences: take longer to become high performing, fault lines,
Team Processes:
team development, norms, cohesion and trust
Team Development-need to get to know and trust each other, understand and agree on roles, discover appropriate and inappropriate behaviours, and co ordinate. the longer teams work tog the better they become.
Stages of team development
-forming, storming, norming, performing.
– two processes, developing team identity, developing team competence.
Team roles: set of behaviours that people are expected to perform.
accelerating team development through team building:
formal activities designed to help build teams
intereventions may clarify teams performance goals, increase teams motivation, improve problem solving skills, clarify and constructs each persons understanding of their role, assisting in shared mental models.
Team building exercises are too general to be effective. Also fail when used as a one shot fix. Better is to diagnose and fix actual problems.
Team norms: Informal rules and expectations. Norms are both positively and negativly reinforced by the team.
How team norms develop:
Influenced by past events and experiences.
Preventing and changing dysfunctional team norms:
Establish desired norms at outset.
Choose people with appropriate values.
To change existing teams leaders can speak up or coach members. Rewards can also reinfoce better behaviours. Last resort disband team.
Team cohesion: the attraction to and motivation to remain a member.
Influences on team cohesion:
Member similarity, team size, External challenges.
Consequences of team cohesion:
High cohesion leads to greater motivation and Sensitivity.
Team trust:
Positive expectation one has towards the other.
Three foundations of trust
Calculus, knowledge and iddntification
Dynamics of team trust:
Trust tends to decrease over time.
Team trust assymetry, unequal levels of trust amongst members.
Self directed and virtual teams.
Self directed: have substantial autonomy. Increase productivity and satisfaction.
Multicultural teams:
Influencing factors.
Norms in power status and authority
Norms about communicating
Norms about Decision making.
Managing multicultural teams:
Encourage adaptation.
Structural interventions
Direct manager intervention.
Virtual Teams:
work across time and space, and organisational boundaries.
cons:
lack richness of face to face
cannot exceed effectiveness of same room communications
people trust easier when nearby
the further away, the more ppl differ.
exert less influence and control
more complaints.
success factors:
good communication skills
strong technical skills
self leadership skills
high emotional intelligence.
structure
some face time should be scheduled in.
Team Decision making: tams can be more effective then individuals at making decisions.
Constraints on team decision making: teams take longer then individuals.
evaluation apprehension: the sense that you are being judged.
pressure to conform: to team norms.
groupthink: valuing consensus over unique ideas.
Team structures to improve decision making
team norms that encourage critical thinking and diversity.
constructive conflict
brainstorming
electronic brainstorming
Nominal group technique.
this is where problem given, group asked to work independently each person writes down solutions all get read out and ranked.
Consciousness and Responsibility
Aboriginal religion has been denied or seen as primative or reduced to analysis. despite the barriers tradition has been preserved in the philosophies of birth death life and the cosmos.
Cosmology:
Dreaming law, all life can be seen as kinsman, each part is autonomous and yet each part belongs to all parts.
Principles- response, balance, symettry, autonomy. in order to work together they need to be equal and in balance.
Species intersubjectivity:
shape is the key. clever things can change shape, and this is an example of the idea that we cannot always understand just by looking at something.
when some person or species is threatened its a sign that something is out of balance.
Responsibility:
we all share the burden of responsibility.
management of resources, when to stimulate it and when to leave it alone.
management of time in ceremonies.
Religious life:
all parts regulate each other.
humans act as agents to nurture and enhance life.
aboriginal spirituality
What is aboriginal spirituality:
Wholistic notion of interconnectedness.
Interdependence is encoded in stories or myths which describe the shaping and developing of the world.
creation ancestors laid down the foundations of life and what people had to do to maintain this interrelationship. The law.
The law prescribes relationships and responsibilities to others (kin) for country and for ongoing relationship with ancestor themselves.
Creation originating from eternity:
The seeing of eternal things during sleep. Instread of dreaming may be thought of as originating from eternity.
Creation stories vary from region to region in content and emphasis.
Creative beings responsible for features of the land including the natural world.
The creation activity was formative.
Creation beings predated creation and continue to be visible only to those who can see.
Relationships involve custodianship and responsibility.
Cosmogeny-the story of the universe
Cosmology-the account of how the universe became a moral system.
No distinction between the sacred and the profane. Their is a link between dreaming humans and the natural world. The whole belief system governs the land management practices, morals, ethics, social and family relationships.
Connections to the land sea and natural world:
Connection is through the law developed at the time of creation.
Totemism relies on symbolism and connection, and depends on order and continuity for maintaining identities. And associations.
The aboriginies relationship with the land is a covenant made at the time of creation.
Law:
creation connects land and earth, weather patterns, species, landforms, and people and also what happens when law is broken.
pattern thinking, everything is connected.
key is autonomy of individuals and groups, conflict is seen as natural however it is mediated through ritual and negotiation.
The role of woman:
aboriginal society is gendered through realities of life such as childbirth and child rearing.
anthropologists have viewed woman in society as one down when this is not the case and modern anthropologists have depicted a more respectful and realistic view of woman with their special duties and responsibilities.
womans views are wholistic and interconnected.
Indigenous spirituality and christianity:
christianity and aboriginal culture is compatible.
aboriginal spirituality is collective.
Cultural expressions of spirituality:
ceremony is the commemoration of the acts of creation.
in dance the dancer is painted the same way they were in dreaming becoming the living embodiment.
spirituality is expressed through art literature film art and song
Everyday lives:
lives are filled with stories of spirituality, restoration and struggles. the enduring spirituality is what has gotten them through the atrocoties.
Aboriginals struggle with the modern concept of aboriginality that does not have a spiritual vein.
Ways forward:
adoption of the aboriginal views on land management.
deep respect is needed for indigenous cultures so that we can understand.
Bachelor of Psychology 