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An Integrative Psychic Life, Nonviolent Relations, and Curriculum Dynamics in Teacher Education

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Abstract

This paper draws upon both Carl Jung’s theory of the psyche and nonviolence philosophy to re-examine curriculum dynamics in the context of teacher education. An integrative psychic life is enabled by the transcendent function of assimilating the unconscious to expand the horizon of consciousness while the integrative power of nonviolence heals the wounds of violence and promotes compassionate relationships. These theories follow different directions—the primary focus of Jung’s theory is the individual person and that of nonviolence theory is humane relationality—but their underlying philosophical principles also intersect in ways that have important implications for today’s education. This paper focuses on three major intersections: the thread of interconnectedness is the undercurrent of an integrative psychic life and the underlying foundation for nonviolent relations; the shadow awareness within the individual psyche creates a social space for compassionate relationships with others; and complementary modes of psychic and nonviolent integration provide multiple pathways for teacher educators’ pedagogy and students’ self-education. After elaborating on these intersecting aspects and their curriculum implications, the final section discusses curriculum dynamics for subjective and social transformation through analysing the interactive relationships between and among teacher educators, students, texts, and contexts.

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Notes

  1. In Jung’s collected works, the term ‘man’ refers to humanity. While his use of terms is limited by the historical time, his theory also has evoked feminist critiques and revisions. The scope of this paper does not permit including these important discussions; however, a feminist re-reading of Jung is necessary.

  2. Shadow projection is related to transferential and counter-transferential relationships that have important implications for pedagogical relationships. Since it is a complicated issue, it is beyond the scope of this paper. Clifford Mayes (2005, 2007) discusses these relations both at the interpersonal and archetypal levels.

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Acknowledgements

My thanks go to Dr. William F. Pinar for his feedback on the first draft of this paper and two anonymous reviewers for their constructive critiques. Their suggestions have made this paper a better one.

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Correspondence to Hongyu Wang.

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Wang, H. An Integrative Psychic Life, Nonviolent Relations, and Curriculum Dynamics in Teacher Education. Stud Philos Educ 38, 377–395 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11217-019-09661-4

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