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Example research essay topic: Double Bind Social Theory - 2,063 words

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Bateson's and Luhmann's Approaches In my paper, I would like to analyze movie: Want Women Want. It is a romantic story about a man, named Nick Marshall, who was given the superficial abilities to hear what women think. In its turn, it gave him an opportunity to learn what women want. This way, he possesses unpredictable and unique power, that he successfully executes on women. We will hold our discussion about such power and other philosophical issues elaborated by Bateson and Luhmann. Niklas Luhmann's social theory suggests a dialogue through the analysis of power.

This concept is considered vital in Luhmann's theory. Many scholars have tried to circumscribe the role of power in their theories, but Niklas Luhmann is one of the few non-individualist theoreticians who finishes his work, having limited the role for power in his social theory. Nevertheless, the marginalisation of power in Luhmann's theory is the result of two theoretical decisions made in the direction to autopoiesis. First, Luhmann links power to one social system of politics. Second, the political systems is considered equal to others.

We will analyze the process of self discovery by Nick through his discovery of women. From the Luhmann's point, we have to deal with two social and political systems represented by Nick and Darcy. These two systems interact with each other by the means of power, different by nature but aimed at the same direction. The concept of power appears as an indicator of 'the art of the possible' and of responsibility.

By defining power and politics as narrowly as he does, by its radical anti-humanism, Luhmann's theory defines issues out of the reach of agency and politics. The theory is based on operationally open, but self-referring social systems. As such, his theorizing of self-reference and reflexivity cuts across nearly all his theory in an extent unparalleled by another social theory. Luhmann also insists in a parallel treatment of psychic and social systems. (Johnson, 1994: 237).

We have to look inside the nature of Luhmann's theory and compare the theory with the works of other scholars. It will give us understanding of the process of self-discovery by Nick in the movie. The question of the influence of information on the persons selection process become importance. Nick constantly receives information and take actions according to his priori set, making attempts to control the situation and achieve his objectives. He expected to take Darcy's position, before he learned that this place was already taken.

Nick starts using his abilities for achieving objectives, which leads to internet change, both mental and moral. Maturana and Varela, theories of whom are often compared with the one of Luhmann's, state that information can only act as a starting point for any individual and hence cannot determine the state of their nervous system. He introduces a distinction between 'information' and 'meaning' arguing that a sign constitutes a "complex analogue stimulus" to the nervous system which is then "progressively transformed through a process of digitisation" generating meaning for a particular individual. (Maturana, 1980: 15). The information, which Nick started to receive, started to transform into the meaning he never guessed about before.

That was the power, and the question was how to apply that power. Information, the scholars argue, is ever present while "human consciousness only ever exists in a domain of meaning." This meaning is captured in the physical structures of the body and nervous system. It does not exist as "pure thought." While trying to stay clear of the minefield of self-referential systems concepts, Varela draws on Luhmann's concepts of society as communicative action to discuss the social individual. To discuss 'meaning' in this context, for example, immediately risks reification or leaves unclear who or what is making the attribution of 'meaning'. (Peters, 1995: 32).

In our situation, Nick starts to realize responsibility for having such a power of hearing what women think. His selection process, together with his behavior, started changing. Meaning itself changed. In comparison with Luhmann, Bateson suggests his approach to the questions of the state of the nervous system and concepts of understanding and meaning. An interesting thing about Bateson's description is that it explains constantly repeating mental processes as a syndrome. Nicks constant hearing things, he was not supposed to hear, can be put under the concept of this Bateson's syndrome.

It is the systematization, not the occasional occurrence, of frustration which leads to the syndrome, influenced by the uncertainty encountered in every day life. The greatest uncertainty for Nick was when he woke up in the mourning and found out that he is reading thoughts of the women who was cleaning the room. First, he thought it was an occasional event, but when he left his apartment, he found out that the situation was more serious than he thought. To see more clear picture, we have to consider Bateson's approach, which is connected with decision making and selective process in yearly childhood, and learn about the double-bind syndrome. In the beginning of the movie, we are introduced to the Nicks childhood, where he can be found in the center of attention, surrounded by beautiful women.

In this age, Nicks perception of women and the attitude were settled. Because of this settled aggressive attitude towards women, he is found to be alone. His new ability helps him change his attitude and reevaluate things. In this situation, we appear at the question of the state of the nervous system and concepts of understanding and meaning, described by Bateson.

It also gives basis for discussing double-bind syndrome taking place. As self-replicative, the double-bind syndrome has much in common with self-fulfilling prophecy and non-falsification symptoms already explored. All three can be self-sustaining to the point where either the institution itself or its context is destroyed. As it can be seen later in the movie, Nick finds himself happy without having the power of readings thoughts and come to his normal life. This is condition in which the burden of power is eliminated. There is a tension connected with creativity and productivity in sense of what Nick had to accomplish learn how to use his power - and, at the same time, he had to find and express his own self.

It can be compared to Bateson's explication of the double-bind as it occurs in families: The "double-bind, " which is central to the etiological half of hypothesis, may now simply summarized by saying that it is the experience of being punished precisely for being right in one's view of the context. Our hypothesis assumes that repeated experience of punishment in sequences of this kind will lead the individual to behave habitually as if he expected such punishment. (Johnson, 1994: 237). In our case, the conversation is not about punishment, but about habitual behavior brought up in Nick. In the movie, we see him in childhood, sitting with somebody like a gangster, counting money in the company of beautiful women, one of whom was Nicks mother.

That was his life, easy and predictable, governed by the notion of money power. From the point of state, in which he turned to be (hearing thoughts of women), his states goes under the double-bind syndrome examined by Bateson. Bateson describes a conversation between a husband and wife. In his explanation of syndrome, Bateson says of their dialogue about family finances: The pattern of such a sequence is simply the successive disqualification of each of the father's contributions to the relationship, here a conversation. He is continuously being told that the messages are not valid. They are received as if they were in some way different from that which he thought he intended.

We may say that he is penalized either for being right about his views of his intentions, or he is penalized whenever his reply is appropriate to what his wife said. But, per contra, from her viewpoint, it seems that he is endlessly misinterpreting her, and this is one of the most peculiar characteristics of the dynamic system which surrounds mental illness. Every therapist who has dealt with schizophrenia will recognize the recurrent trap. The patient endeavors to put the therapist in the wrong by his interpretation of what the therapist said, and the patient does this because he expects the therapist to misinterpret what the patient said. The bind becomes mutual. (Peters, 1995: 32). We do not experience such a situation in the movie, but we can assume such things took place in Nicks life in the past, which allowed this syndrome to appear.

We know that Nick is divorced, has a daughter and stayed in bearable relations with his ex-wife. The situation of being made influential input into the progress of double bind syndrome. Bateson, in his analysis, goes further in explanation of the syndrome: How often are we tempted to say of a parent, child or spouse: "I can't seem to get anywhere with you!" The most telling consequence for us is that black professionals are put in the position where none of their choices of behavior can possibly be interpreted sympathetically. From on group or the other - or both - any action brings on punishment, even non-professional action. The misinterpretation is endless and apparently inevitable, and in this case there is no therapist. This syndrome has become established in the institutions which are our society.

What is its cause? We may say here that it is due partly to the fact that everyone has taken sides: political polarization. Hence every act will be interpreted as apolitical act regardless of how sincere the intentions were. The result is the social prison of double-bind. I cannot dig deeper here to ask for the cause, in turn, of this polarization, except to mention that Hegel and the American politics agree that confrontation - however it oversimplifies the facts - is the price of historical evolution. Double-binds frequently occur with another symptom of a pathological institution.

We may call this symptom the "opposite results syndrome. " We often find that mission-oriented institutions wind up causing results the opposite of their mission. This familiar phenomenon is easy enough to spot, but its pervasiveness has not yet been fully acknowledged. (Meyrowitz, 1985: 127). A fundamental value of our society, Bateson continues, is the healing and care of the sick. But medical and nursing programs virtually require their student practitioners to develop a certain coldness toward patients. Why? First, because the institutionalization of care requires efficiency.

Second, competition for admission to medical school is high, tending by "natural selection" to ensure that the tough gain admission. The same way, Nick, having acquired the power had to apply his abilities with such coldness, or, the other way, he comes the prey of his own abilities and the victim of others. He pursues his prey with persistence and willingness to win. For him, this is a game, through Darcy does not even guess about it, as his ability allows him to play well.

He is efficient, and gain that admission. It was one of Gregory Bateson greatest contributions to show that human or animal communication systems are deeply dependent on paralinguistic or para logical settings, that we examined before on the example of double-bind syndrome. The concept of code-duality was meant as a tool for conceptualizing this theme as a general theme for evolution. The perpetual accumulation of new mutations in the genomes of the species of this world is of course necessary for the evolutionary process to proceed, but code-duality points to the necessity for a semiotic contextualizing of the process. (Page, 1987: 34). Bateson's and Luhmann's approaches can be similar in the sense of political polarization. Considering the two independent political systems, Nick and Darcy, we can see their struggle for domination: Darcy naturally tries to avoid all Nick attempts to get closer to her.

It is her experience that keeps her vigilant. The same way, by comparing the systems performance for those selected instances of Nick and Darcy, we can describe them by political positions they take. Their constant perception process, especially Nicks, influences on how the functioning of particular replies is responsible for the impaired performance of the system. In the end, Nick realizes his responsibility and takes appropriate actions, even risking his own carrier. Considering Luhmann's approach, we have to analyze power first, as the central theme of his theory. The choice of Luhmann for analyzing power is interesting...


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Research essay sample on Double Bind Social Theory

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