Fatigue and the mind-body relation: A Lacanian exploration, Diserholt, 2020 (PhD thesis)

Six females and three males took part ranging from ages 23 to 65.....

The criteria for participating in this study was as broad as possible in order to attempt to catch a wide range of experiences. Individuals could volunteer to participate if they ‘experience constant or intense fatigue which is different from everyday tiredness and which has affected your [their] life negatively’, or consider themselves to have CFS/ME, or be diagnosed with it. The two first criteria follow a Freudian line of thinking in that it is the patient who decides, in a way, whether s/he has a ‘pathology’, as it is manifested through the presence of complaints, which is also part of the third criteria insofar as the person has turned to the medical establishment with complaints in order to be diagnosed.
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I added the bolding and underlining.

The rigorous criteria. We just complained to the MD and he handed over a diagnosis.
 
I could understand, just, if the author had critiqued the Workwell findings of a damaged aerobic system leading to an overreliance on anaerobic respiration with all the problems that brings.

Instead, all the scientific findings are ignored so she can say that there is no medical reason for our fatigue and then make up fancy psychological insights into why the fatigue exists.

"The sun in summer is not hot so so called "sunburn" must be a self induced painful skin condition due to a protestant work ethic that means we self punish as we feel guilty about being on holiday."
 
written diarrhoea by someone lacking the intelligence inclination to do any real research into the physical part of disease this standard arguement written from privilege = the slaves are lazy while we spend our days faffing about .
 
Oh, this made me smile:
This brings to light a common experience of a confrontation with the capitalistic demand to 'keep going', as well as experience of facing contradictory demands.
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I never realised capitalism was a the root of all our suffering!

You will also smile at this bio of Dr. Diserholt's supervisor:
Dr Calum Neill
Associate Professor of Psychoanalysis & Cultural Theory
Edinburgh Napier University

Calum Neill is a leading figure in the world of Lacanian theory, with particular expertise in ethics, discourse and subjectivity. He is the author of three groundbreaking books, co-editor of the Reading Lacan's Ecrits three volume collection and the editor of The Palgrave Lacan Series. He is also the founder and director of Lacan In Scotland, a research group which hosts monthly public seminars.

Calum is the University's Professorial Leader for Research Degrees, convening the University's Research Degrees Committee and co-ordinating research degrees provision across the institution.

He supervises PhDs in psychoanalytic and related theory.
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Lacan's "Ecrits". "aporetic divisions" The sheer pretence of it all!

I used to be against de-funding of the humanities, but this thesis makes a persuasive case in favour.
 
Woolie said:
Oh, this made me smile:

I never realised capitalism was a the root of all our suffering!

You will also smile at this bio of Dr. Diserholt's supervisor:

Lacan's "Ecrits". "aporetic divisions" The sheer pretence of it all!

I used to be against de-funding of the humanities, but this thesis makes a persuasive case in favour.
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An interesting dialectic exercise.
Of course capitalism is the root of all our suffering ;) - but mostly because it encourages billionaires to lounge on their yachts in Monaco while laid off workers go penniless.

The job of professorial leader for research degrees presumably goes to some stooge who is struggling to get brownie points any other way, but it does rather make a mockery of quality control.

What is a bit worrying is that this thesis comes from the department applied sciences!
 
Jonathan Edwards said:
I also note that the thesis and supervisor are not part of Edinburgh University but part of an institution that is ranked in the bottom 200 of all world universities. The worrying thing is that it seems to specialise in training nurses!
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I expect that ranking is based on research published. It looks like it's what I would call a vocational university, probably an amalgam of the old polytechnic style institutions and things like Nursing schools attached to hospitals and Art schools. Not necessarily poor quality, just different focus.
Though there is a real danger that such universities end up with departments that really don't belong in an academic institution. I had a quick glance and saw a BSc in football coaching. Really!
 
Personally, I think that if ME/CFS were caused by a desire to escape from the pressures of life, the adult prevalence rate would be closer to 100%, rather than less than 0.5%.




I haven't watched this, but here is the author discussing her work.

 
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