Unpacking the Concept of Otherness: Philosophical and Psychological Perspectives.

Otherness is a complex and polysemic notion that is conceptualized in both philosophy and psychology. The paper examines otherness as a universal phenomenon of the human psyche that manifests in relation to oneself and interpersonal relationships with others. Philosophical ideas, including those of Hegel, Lévinas and Waldenfels, are introduced as providing essential theoretical background for psychological studies of otherness. The psychological section deals with otherness from various perspectives, with emphasis on internal processes of an individual, drawing on theories within psychoanalytical and intrapsychic traditions, as well as the intersection of otherness and identity. Otherness is introduced as a variable influencing complex individual and social processes, such as the perception of individuals and groups. Finally, a taxonomy of otherness is proposed that reflects the multifaceted nature of the concept and could help navigate the existing literature as well as guide new studies.

Otherness measuring scale: design and validation for social sciences.

This paper is the result of a scale validation process, applicable to social science research, which allows the constructs of otherness and coexistence and their relationship to be trasnformed into measurable, systematized variables. In turn, this scale is the product of a research project whose main objectives were (i) to demonstrate the relationship between coexistence as an independent variable and otherness as a dependent variable, and (ii) to create and statistically validate a scale to measure both variables, so to use it in applied research. The sample consisted of 600 participants. Three instruments were used: two semantic differentials and a 33-item questionnaire. The application was carried out virtually due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The method includes a mixed type of work, i.e., qualitative, and quantitative procedures. The results showed two factors, the other as strange or foreign and the other as equal. The final scale consisted of 10 items, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.86 and variance explaining 58% of the otherness.

Lefebvre's production of space: Implications for nursing.

In this paper, we argue that nurses need to be aware of how the production of space in specific contexts - including health care systems and research institutions - perpetuates marginalized populations' state of social otherness. Lefebvre's idea regarding spatial triad is mobilized in this paper, as it pertains to two-spirited, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer populations (2SLGBTQ*). We believe that nurses can create counter-spaces within health care systems and research institutions that challenge normative discourses. Lefebvre's work provides us the necessary tools to understand how various places or environments produce identities. In understanding Lefebvre's principles, we believe that nurses can play an essential role in creating counter-spaces, thereby instigating counter-institutional practices, for those who experience otherness.

La discapacidad y su configuración como signo de otredad: una mirada historiográfica / Disability and its configuration as a sign of otherness: a historiographic perspective

El presente artículo, construido a partir de una revisión historiográfica, aborda a la discapacidad como signo, cifrado en las corporalidades de las personas en distintos contextos geográficos y momentos históricos de occidente en los cuales, el signo de la discapacidad aparece cifrada en otros signos, como “el estigma”, “la raza”, “lo monstruoso”, “lo freak” y “lo patológico”. El abordaje de estos signos, nos permite observar como la posición social de las personas en situación de discapacidad ha ido transformándose a lo largo del tiempo, al igual que los distintos dispositivos de dominación y violencia que atravesaron y aún atraviesan, a las corporalidades y subjetividades de las personas signadas por la marca de la “otredad”.(AU)

This article, built from a historiographic review, approaches disability as a sign, encrypted in the corporealities of people in different geographical contexts and historical moments of the West in which the sign of disability appears encrypted in other signs, such as “stigma”, “race”, “the monstrous” and “the freak”. The approach to these signs allows us to observe how the social position of people with disabilities has been transformed over time, as well as the different devices of domination and violence that crossed and still cross the corporealities and subjectivities of people marked by the “otherness” mark.(AU)

Un diálogo teórico de la diplomacia cultural y la comunicación promovido por la escuela de verano alaic xviii en pandemia

Se plantea como antecedente y ámbito de referencia para este artículo de reflexión desarrollar un haz de observación predominantemente bibliográfico, acerca de la tangencia entre los campos de las relaciones internacionales y los estudios de comunicación. Para develar en esta intersección diálogos teóricos sobre la diplomacia cultural y aplicarlos como óptica en el desempeño de la Escuela de Verano ALAIC. Exponer e interpretar a esta última como una institución académica internacional de investigación. Este abordaje parte de un recorte bibliográfico teórico sobre los principales diálogos sobre el concepto de diplomacia cultural, para luego plantear como estudio de caso, el desarrollo y desempeño como curso documental de la escuela de Verano ALAIC, sus propósitos, objetivos y prácticas. Desde este prisma de observación se pretende buscar asociaciones entre los temas, y así verificar si es adecuado interpretar la iniciativa como un movimiento catalizador de espacios y encuentros de alteridad para la diplomacia cultural.

A predominantly bibliographic observation context, on the tangency between the fields of international relations and communication studies, is proposed as background and scope of reference for this article to be developed,. To reveal, in this intersection, theoretical dialogues on cultural diplomacy, and to apply them as an optic, in the performance of the ALAIC's Summer School. Thus, to expose and to interpret this association as an international academic research institution. This approach starts from a theoretical bibliographic clipping on the main dialogues on the concept of cultural diplomacy, ergo, to propose its development and performance of the ALAIC summer school of an academic course, its purposes, objectives, and practices, as a case study. From this perspective of observation, it is intended to look for associations between themes, and thereby, to verify if it is appropriate to interpret the initiative as a catalyst movement of spaces and encounters of otherness, for cultural diplomacy.

Threads of identity.

Identity is a paradoxical expression for psychoanalysis because importance is placed on 'becoming', the decentring of subjectivity and the avoidance of rigid identifications. There is no settled understanding of metapsychological terms and practices or the relationship between theory and practice. The development of psychoanalysis in Asia creates wonderment and anxiety for both Western and Eastern psychoanalysts. Western psychoanalysts are concerned about the threat to Western ideals and sensibilities to define psychoanalytic identity. Eastern psychoanalysts question whether there can be sufficient space for the conception of Eastern subjectivity within a Western psychoanalysis or it represents a repetition of colonial othering. I suggest that there is a thread of identity that rests on the psychoanalytic attitude and state of mind. A state of mind is associated with Bion's idea of passion and Kristeva's notion of reliance. Chetrit-Vatine has extended these ideas to emphasise the importance of the psychoanalyst's receptive and ethical state of mind.

Distance And Relation: Emerging From Embeddedness In The Other.

Inspired by an essay by Martin Buber (1950), and then by the work of Ernest Schachtel (1959) on the idea of "embeddedness" and emergence from it, this essay is an account of the role of "distance" or "separateness" in clinical psychoanalytic work. We tend to assume that the capacity to appreciate otherness is always already present. We often lose track of the necessity to "set the other at a distance" (Buber), the prerequisite for emergence from embeddedness in the other. The entire process-i.e., setting the other at a distance and then emerging from embeddedness in the other-must take place over and over again in any treatment, and in both directions: patients must disembed from analysts, but it is just as necessary for analysts to disembed from patients. It is the emergence from embeddedness that allows the analyst's appreciation of the patient's otherness. Embeddedness in the other is discussed as mutual enactment. This use of these phenomena in treatment is articulated in the theory of witnessing presented elsewhere in recent years (Stern 2009, 2012, 2022b, in press). A detailed clinical illustration is presented.

[The benefits of a psychologist working alongside caregivers in neonatal and pediatric intensive care units]. / De l'intérêt d'un psychologue aux côtés des soignants en réanimation néonatale et pédiatrique.

Neonatal and pediatric intensive care units take care of patients in very critical condition. Professionals in these departments are faced with extreme clinical conditions and a heavy burden of care. The heavy burden of care and the constant confrontation with illness and death have prompted some departments to create psychologist posts dedicated to the nursing staff. By providing a space for thought and reflection, these psychologists act as psychic containers and emotional receptacles for the teams. By working on the otherness of caregivers, the psychologist takes care of those who care.

Relato de la conquista y discurso del descubrimiento. Reflexiones sobre el problema del otro tal como lo plantea T. Todorov / Account of the Conquest and Discourse of Discovery Reflections on the problem of the other as stated by T. Todorov

Este texto pertenece al sociólogo suizo Jean Widmer y fue publicado originalmente en francés en 1992, al cumplirse los 500 años del primer viaje de Cristóbal Colón. Constituye el estudio más importante de la obra de S. Todorov sobre la otredad y fue incluido en una antología junto a otros trabajos de Widmer, en una compilación indispensable para comprender la nueva sociología estructural. Se lo publica ahora por primera vez en español, al cumplirse quince años del fallecimiento de su autor, como homenaje a su labor académica en la Universidad de Fribourg y en la plena vigencia de sus idea

This text belongs to the Swiss sociologist Jean Widmer and was originally published in French in 1992, on the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' first voyage. It constitutes the most important study of S. Todorov's work on otherness and was included in an anthology together with other works by Widmer, in an indispensable compilation for understanding the new structural sociology. It is now published for the first time in Spanish, fifteen years after the death of its author, as a tribute to his academic work at the University of Fribourg and in full force of his ideas

"Otherness", otherism, discrimination, and health inequalities: entrenched challenges for modern psychiatric disciplines.

Identity is a complex concept that can be informed by various factors, involving biological, psychological, experiential, and social influences. Specifically, one's social identity refers to the ways in which individuals can adopt attributes from established collective categories, like cultural identities, ethnic identities, gender identities, and class identities, amongst others. Social identity can encompass unique and diverse interactions at an individual level, known as micro-identities, that may be selectively expressed, hidden, or downplayed, contingent on distinct sociocultural settings. However, the formation of social identity is recurrently defined in opposition to perceptions of the Other, which can entail adverse paradigms of marginalisation, stigma, and discrimination. Although this theory of Otherness has been developed across different fields, particularly sociology, it may be important in psychiatric contexts as it can engender inherent risk factors and mental health inequalities. Consequently, this paper seeks to bring attention towards these issues, exploring the construction of Otherness and its detrimental outcomes for psychiatry, such as systemic discrimination and disparities in therapeutic support, alongside recommended initiatives to mitigate against the effects of Otherness. This may require multifactorial approaches that include cultural competency training, interventions informed by micro-identities and intersectionality, patient advocacy, and structural changes to mental health policy.

Engaging otherness: care ethics radical perspectives on empathy.

Throughout the years, care ethicists have raised concerns that prevalent definitions of empathy fail to adequately address the problem of otherness. They have proposed alternative conceptualizations of empathy that aim to acknowledge individual differences, help to extend care beyond one's inner circle, and develop a critical awareness of biases and prejudices. We explore three such alternatives: Noddings' concept of engrossment, Meyers' account of broad empathy, and Baart's concept of perspective-shifting. Based on these accounts, we explain that care ethics promotes a conceptualization of empathy that is radical in its commitment to engage otherness and that is characterized by being: (1) receptive and open, (2) broad and deep in scope, (3) relational and interactive, (4) mature and multifaceted, (5) critical and reflective, (6) disruptive and transformative. This type of empathy is both demanding and rewarding, as it may inspire health professionals to rethink empathy, its challenges, and its contribution to good care and as it may enrich empathy education and professional empathy practices in health care.

From the Enigma of Identity to "Becoming a Subject": The Transitional Double.

In the field of psychopathology, "narcissistic and identity-related suffering" refers to a type of suffering characterized by a lack of being that centrally affects narcissism and identity continuity/discontinuity. Present in many clinical and psychopathological pictures, these problems in turn invite us to undertake a rereading of the modalities of structuration of subjectivity in the course of development. Elements for a model of identity construction are proposed based on the paradigm of the double. Approached from the angle of paradox, identity is thought of as a process in the service of "becoming a subject" based, essentially, on the role of the object and its reflexive function. Drawing on the concept of "transitional double," this perspective allows the foundations of subjective identity and their stages of construction to be described; these foundations underlie the creation of an internal psychic mirror, the locus of one's relationship to self. These considerations give us a better understanding of the logics of narcissistic and identity-related pathologies, which are characterized in particular by a failure of reflexive capacities, revealing the uncertainties of the dual relational dynamic in the course of early development.

The Saturated Phenomenon of Flesh and Mineness and Otherness of the Body in Illness.

A key topic within the field of the phenomenology of medicine has been the relationship between body and self in illness, including discussions about the otherness and mineness of the body. The aim of this article is to distinguish between different meanings of bodily otherness and mineness in illness with reference to the interpretation of the body as "saturated phenomenon," inspired by the phenomenology of Jean-Luc Marion. With the help of Marion's ideas it is possible to distinguish between two meanings of bodily otherness and of mineness (objective and non-objective forms). These distinctions support and elaborate on ideas already found in the phenomenology of medicine and offer further insights into the nature of the experience of illness.

How Well Do We Understand Autistic Savant Artists: A Review of Various Hypotheses and Research Findings to Date.

The authors investigated the artistic characteristics of autistic savant artists, hypotheses on the proximate and ultimate causes of their emergence, recent psychological and other studies about them, and psychological and neuroaesthetic studies about non-savant autistic individuals. The artistic features of autistic savant artists were significantly similar to those of outsider artists. Furthermore, the authors investigated the explanatory power of the paradoxical functional facilitation theory, the superior visual perception hypothesis, the "Hmmmmm" hypothesis, and the Neanderthal theory of autism regarding the emergence of autistic savant artists. In addition, we investigated whether an increase in savant characteristics was related to a decrease in the ability for social communication. The authors suggested that in studies on the aesthetic experience of non-savant autistic individuals, their aesthetic experience ability is never lower than that of neurotypical individuals and that some non-savant autistic individuals may potentially have artistic talent. Finally, the authors reviewed the effectiveness of the "autism savant spectrum syndromic disorder" proposed by some researchers. More scientific and systematic studies on autistic savant artists from a multidisciplinary perspective are warranted.

Customizing Health Recommendations About Physical Activity During Pregnancy: A Qualitative Study Among Practitioners in France.

While studies have long shown the beneficial health effects of physical activity during pregnancy, such recommendations have been rarely analyzed in terms of how practitioners adapt such health messages to patients' social profiles. The present study sought to apprehend the logics underlying practitioner (non)recommendations of physical activity and exercise during pregnancy, and how these were associated with social distinctions made between patients. Semi-directive interviews were conducted with 20 midwives and 17 gynaecologists and obstetricians in south-eastern France. Based on thematic analyses, the results show how recommendations draw from both medical and social knowledge, mobilizing social representations regarding physical activity, (non)normative bodies and othered social categories of class, ethnicity or obesity. The othering processes reiterate gendered social hierarchies as well as moral orders surrounding normative bodies and health-enhancing behaviours. The findings demonstrate how social hierarchies and beliefs intertwine with public health discourses about the body and health-enhancing practices, suggesting directions for reducing their impact in contexts of medicine and health.

Semiotic Approach to the New Perspectives on Inner Speech.

The article aims at identifying the new perspectives on the study of inaudible internal communication, known as inner speech. This is done by addressing the role of semiotic approach in the contemporary studies of inner speech, emphasising the role of contemporary culture in the formation of human inner communication processes, as well as by critically addressing the recent publications that outline the new directions in inner speech research, more specifically "New Perspectives on Inner Speech" edited by Pablo Fossa (2022). The article develops and expands the framework of the new perspectives on inner speech by focusing on such aspects of inner speech research as the language of inner speech, the role of contemporary digital culture in the formation of inner speech and the advances in the recent research methodologies. The discussions established in the article are based on the recent inner speech studies, as well as the author's own diverse experience in researching inner speech within his PhD research (Fadeev, 2022) and his experience at the inner speech research group at the Department of Semiotics at the University of Tartu.

Gaguejar na própria língua: antropofagia contraidentitária como desarticulação da dominação epistêmica / Stuttering in one's own language: anti-identitarian anthropophagy as a disruption of epistemic domination

RESUMO: O artigo em tela tem como finalidade articular a dialética inerente à constituição do eu a partir do encontro com o outro com as noções de ferida narcísica e sentimento oceânico. Em seguida, apresenta-se um caso-problema que interroga os limites da construção identitária dos sujeitos subalternizados, marcados pelo discurso colonial, o qual opera a partir de uma distribuição ontológica hierárquica promotora da divisão entre nós e eles, e cujo pressuposto é a noção de falta como atributo fundamental dos colonizados. Tal distribuição ontológica repousa, portanto, na pressuposição de uma hierarquia dos saberes e discursos que tanto reprime a produção de conhecimentos e dos sistemas de signo dos dominados quanto mitifica àquela dos dominadores. O caso em tela coloca em evidência o colonialismo interno em sua dupla determinação: do ser e do saber, e nos leva a problematizar os processos de identificação entre a autofagia e a antropofagia, bem como ao questionamento dos modos pelos quais é possível articular uma fala de resistência que não esteja comprometida pelo discurso e pelos poderes dominantes.

ABSTRACT: Stuttering in One's Own Language: Anti-identitarian Anthropophagy as a Disruption of Epistemic Domination. This article aimed to articulate the inherent dialectics of self-constitution through encounters with the other, employing the concepts of narcissistic wounds and oceanic feeling. Subsequently, a case problem is presented, which questions the limits of identity construction for subalternized subjects marked by the colonial discourse. The colonial discourse operates through a hierarchical ontological distribution, promoting a division between 'us' and 'them,' presupposing the fundamental attribute of lack for the colonized. This ontological distribution relies on the presupposition of a hierarchy of knowledge and discourses that both repress the production of knowledge and sign systems of the dominated and mythify those of the dominators. The case at hand highlights internal colonialism in its dual determination: being and knowledge, prompting scrutiny of identification processes between autophagy and anthropophagy. It also raises questions about how it is possible to articulate a resistant discourse that is not compromised by dominant powers.

The architecture of creditions: Openness and otherness.

"Creditions" are an important new idea within our contemporary understanding of the human. They potentially represent the unity of both humanistic and scientific ways of modeling the human. As such, "creditions" offer a bridge between current thinking in science and the humanities and the development of a more powerfully integrated interdisciplinary hermeneutic. It is argued in this article that the questions posed by "creditions" (as developed by Rüdiger Seitz and Hans-Ferdinand Angel) cannot be resolved through reduction but rather only through cohesive systematization. In contrast with coherence in conventional science, "credition-centered" thinking finds expression in systemic ways. The complex humanity of the reflective subject resists reduction; and calls to be analyzed in terms of sociality, the identification of "otherness" and interactive engagement. In this context then a thinking which is attuned to complexity and to otherness has an important place in the expression of the social subject as a complex and relational self, in today's world. These are not however social realities as we find them either in large-scale social schemata, or indeed in the intimacy of the face to face. Rather credition-centered learning falls between these two categories and is best described as "the productive knowledge of community," where community is generated by productive enhancement and the embrace of otherness over time.

Beyond the three monkeys of workforce diversity: Who hears, sees, and speaks up?

The purpose of this study was to explain differences between employees who feel a sense of belonging and those who feel a sense of otherness in terms of their opinions about diversity works in their organizations. We conducted an empirical study to examine the perceptual differences between two independent groups of the study "who feel a sense of belonging" and "who feel a sense of otherness." We collected data from 792 employees working for organizations in different sizes, industries, and capital structures, which enriched the representativeness of the sample. The findings show that out-group members remain less satisfied with diversity works in their organizations based on four main issues such as "competence of diversity actors," "embeddedness of diversity works in organizational policies/practices," "diversity awareness in the HRM functions," and "diversity-related employee satisfaction." This paper makes two contributions. First, it contributes to the extant literature an understanding of the differences between those who remain indifferent to diversity works and those who care to see, speak, and hear about them. Second, with a few exceptions, extant studies on diversity works have been dominated by Western-centered research. Research is needed on countries with different macro-contextual conditions, such as different legal regulations, socio-political status, and history. For this study, survey data were collected from people who work in Turkey, a country which has limited legal measures and underdeveloped discourses for equality, diversity, and inclusion. The paper provides significant insights into leading diversity works in national settings with less developed supportive mechanisms for diversity.