Warning over narcissistic pupils

Here's an interesting article.

Lead-in: The growing expectation placed on schools and parents to boost pupils' self-esteem is breeding a generation of narcissists, an expert has warned.

Argument: "Schools have to hold out that they are educational establishments," she said.

"They are not surrogate psychologists or mental health professionals."

Article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/7943906.stm

Spirit of Capitalism in America

David Brooks, a columnist for the New York Times, just wrote an article basically about the spirit of capitalism in America. He seems to think it's still around but is suppressed during recessions. What do y'all think?

Article link: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/17/opinion/17brooks.html?em

Foucault's Sovereign and Disciplinary power in Marriage

In this essay I will be discussing Foucault's theory on the transition of power, and the characteristics of both Sovereign and Disciplinary power. I will also demonstrate how they affect and are displayed in the institution of marriage.

Sovereign Power Vs. Disciplinary Power

This paper discusses the difference between sovereign and disciplinary power and their relation to trade union institutions. 

Foucault on the Human Rights Campaign

This essay will explore Foucault's theory of power and its application to the Human Rights Campaign.

Foucault: Discipline, Sovereignty, and Coops

Disciplinary Power and Welfare

Memo #2

This memo highlights the differences between Foucault's models of sovereign and disciplinary power and examines the ways in which disciplinary power operates within a sorority.

Sovereign and Disciplinary Power

This essay explores the difference between sovereign and disciplinary power. In the second half of the essay I examine how my sorority functions under disciplinary power. I examine who exercises the power and to what extent.

Sovereign vs. Disciplinary Power

In this essay....

Possibilities of Sovereign and Disciplinary Power in the Prison System

There may be more to the prison system than a corrective institution, this essay will explore elements of sovereign power that can exist within the prison.

Foucault, Sovereign v. Disciplinary Power and the Sports Team

Foucault describes sovereign power as a power of ascending individualism and disciplinary power as a power of descending individualism. Disciplinary power incorporates hierarchical observation, normalizing judgment, and examination to measure each individual's deviation from a norm. On the sports team, both sovereign and disciplinary power come into play.

Power and discipline in the slums of Guatemala

In this paper I describe and compare sovereign and disciplinary power as Foucault describes it an see if these are present in a day-care center in Guatemala City.

Sovereign power is first and foremost repressive and is exemplified by Foucault in the public execution. The power of the omnipotent ruler is exercised publicly, explicitly and passionately on the body of the condemned man (9f). This spectacle serves to show the power of the sovereign and generates public fear to keep the public from committing acts of crime. The centre of attention is on the one exercising power.
In contrast, in disciplinary power the centre of attention is on the individual, and following Foucault’s example, the rehabilitation of the criminal (19). Although punishment is still exercised on the body, usually in the form of restraints, the main focus is the soul (16). The deviant is not mainly punished, but corrected (19). Disciplinary power therefore has a positive, creative aspect. As opposed to sovereign power that is centralised, disciplinary power is diffuse and scattered. Foucault calls this “the micro-physics of power” (26). In the same way as the handling of the criminal was transferred from the executioner to a team of technicians (warders, doctors, chaplains, psychiatrics etc.), power is not exercised by one entity, but exists as a more differentiated and more or less intangible and sometimes hidden force throughout society and it’s institutions (26). Disciplinary power trains the individual through three main instruments: hierarchical observation, normalizing judgement and their combination, examination (170). Hierarchical observation functions as a piece of machinery and is coercive by nature; observation is itself an exercise of power and control over the ones kept visible (170f, 177). Inherent to punishment lies an evaluation of normality (20f): it “compares, differentiates, hierarchizes, homogenizes, excludes” (183). Combined, these two instruments constitute examination. Individuals become “cases” that are constantly held under surveillance and evaluation (192).
My choice of organisation is Camino Seguro / Safe Passage, a non-profit in Guatemala City, that takes care of the children of the families working at the garbage dump. CS has day-care centre that is both a school and a medical facility. Functioning as a school, this institution has an inherent corrective and rehabilitative aspect, i.e. disciplinary power. Hierarchical observation, by both teacher and volunteer, is used to keep the children in line at their desks. Normalization takes place through both tests and homework and correction of behaviour. Deviance is occasionally punished by a verbal reprimand in front of the class, an exercise of sovereign power. Generally, volunteers are told to take a troublesome child aside and “talk to them”, that is instructing them how to behave like “normal”. This is disciplinary power.
This institution is interesting because it exercises disciplinary power in several domains: It aims to “foster hope, good health, educational achievement, self-sufficiency, self esteem and confidence.” One part is the examination of the body: At one point the entire mass of children were treated for lice, very much like plague victims. On the other hand, such qualities as self-esteem and confidence are abstract and part of the soul. Although these qualities are generally held to be good, one could easily argue that they are part of the discourse of the individual, and have a normative quality (compare to the normative pressure in parts of present society not to conform and to have and stand for ones own opinions). The children’s families are also examinated. To get their children accepted, they must fulfil certain requirements, for example abstinence from alcohol. Would Foucault say that this holistic approach is just an extreme and even more extensive exercise of disciplinary power, examinating and forging every part of the individual? Are these children giving up liberty to gain the advantages and possibilities of education and health service, even if that is the liberty to roam the streets and most likely staying in the slums indefinitely and possibly become criminals?

Foucault: Sovereign and Disciplinary Power

In this paper, I first explain the difference between sovereign and discipline power. I will then examine how disciplinary power is exercised in the Silicon Valley Children's Shelter.

Sovereign and Disciplinary Power

I will show the main difference(s) between sovereign and disciplinary power from the readings of Michel Foucault.

Sovereign and Disciplinary Power and Dictatorship

In this essay, I compare sovereign and disciplinary power, and explain how both were present in the tactics used by the 1976-83 Argentinean dictatorial regime.

Sovereign and Disciplinary Power in the inner-workings of Maganda Magazine

In Discipline & Punish: The Birth of the Prison, Michel Foucault outlines two different forms of power—the sovereign power and the disciplinary power—using examples of a public execution (which displays sovereign power) versus a prison time table (which displays disciplinary power). With these examples, he supports that, while sovereign power is a public, violent spectacle and is meant to demonstrate the power of the sovereign, disciplinary power is all the more effective because it is invisible and mean to strike at the soul as opposed to the body. In this paper I will elaborate on the difference between sovereign and disciplinary power and describe how the two powers play out in my institution of study, the student organization and publication Maganda Magazine.
Foucault observes that history has made the slow transition from sovereign power to disciplinary power, proposing that disciplinary power is insidious and thus a more effective form. Acting on violent, public punishment, it is clear where sovereign power comes from (the king) and what its main purpose is (to demonstrate to the public the consequences of breaking the law). In contrast, because disciplinary power is so embedded in every aspect of our life, in every institution and micro-institution, it is difficult to really pinpoint where disciplinary power comes from. In this way, it strikes at the soul as opposed to the body because individuals internalize and self-correct their actions in case a form of disciplinary power is observing them (16). As an invisible force, disciplinary power works to rehabilitate individuals and correct their deviation from the norms of society.
With my student organization, Maganda Magazine, a mix of sovereign power and disciplinary power are at work. As the Editor in Chief of the magazine, it is clear to me that staff members look up to me as an authoritative figure and expect reprimand if someone is not doing their job. Being in the position that I am and having the title I have, it is difficult to express myself and my privilege of power in an invisible way, especially during staff meetings when I have to facilitate and make sure we are on the ball with everything. Here, sovereign power is at work, especially during our weekly staff meetings. In fact, I have recently instated this form of punishment and public humiliation where anyone who comes late to our staff meetings has to spell their name in the air using their butt. Everyone on staff agreed that this public humiliation will get people to come to staff meetings on time.
The fact that our publication runs on a strict production timeline shows how we operate using disciplinary power. At the beginning of each semester, we set up deadlines for ourselves so that we have a holistic sense of where our magazine is going. As a whole staff we agree to follow these deadlines. Though I exercise my power as the “sovereign” to punish people that do not follow the deadlines, I believe setting up the production timeline operates more as a disciplinary power because we all hold ourselves accountable to it. In this sense, power is decentralized because we all have the power. Secondly, if someone does not follow a deadline there is not public humiliation or reprimand where I torture the person for not conforming. Since everyone on staff feels it is their responsibility to follow deadlines, everyone on staff is hurt and affect when someone does not. Thus, this sets up an internalized feeling within each individual staff member that if they don’t keep up with the deadlines, they are hurting the rest of staff.

Foucault in the Classroom (frightening thought)

Sovereign and disciplinary power are differentiated in various ways but most importantly in how power is exercised, to what end, and who is constructed as individuals. In my institution of a middle school tutoring program, almost all the power exhibited is disciplinary. And there's a lot of it....

Foucault on Sovereign Power vs. Disciplinary Power

In my essay, I compare sovereign power to disciplinary power as defined by Foucault. I also show how these forms of power exist within the American Red Cross non-profit organization.

Sovereign versus Disciplinary Power

In this blog, I explain the difference between Foucault's sovereign and disciplinary power. Also, I mention the ways in which disciplinary power is present and operates in public high schools.

Foucault!!!

Difference between sovereign and disciplinary power. My institutions are schools.

Foucault Paper

One of the main differences between sovereign power and disciplinary power is how they punish the individual. In sovereign power, the individual is punished publicly, passionately and violently. For example, the execution of Damiens was made public by having him dragged throughout Paris and violent because his body was filled with hot iron and then quartered (Foucault 3-6). Sovereign power punishes the body and theatrically shows the event to instill fear in the people and how powerful is their king (9). The executioner carries out the punishment based on the knowledge of law, which centralizes power to the king.

Under disciplinary power, punishment is hidden from the public, made quick, and rational (9-10). Foucault uses the time-table at the juvenile reformatory as an example of how regimented and rational disciplinary power can be (6-7). The purpose of punishment is to rehabilitate the individual and produce a person that can function in society (19, 24). Thus the soul is the target under disciplinary power because in order to change the body one must discipline and correct the soul (24-25, 30). Institutions like the psychiatry wards and education that hold micro-physics of power which decentralizes power from one person to many places (26). As a result, technicians like educators and psychiatrists use the corrective power. They base their knowledge of what is normal and what is deviant on scientific knowledge (18).

For the sorority house that I have been observing, they are more disciplinary power than they are sovereign power, however there are elements that have both. The sovereign power is exercised in the form of the national sorority headquarters. Here the rules that each chapter across the country must follow. If the chapter is going out of control or violates any of the rules, the national headquarters will send someone to look at and make recommendations of discipline. The house that I have observed has not had that problem because they uphold the national and house rules strictly. The rules are disciplinary because they ask the girls to conform to an anti-substance, “non lady-like” behavior, and pro-sisterhood and philanthropic stance as one sister mentioned. The president of the house is like a sovereign, in the sense that she is looked up as the girl with power and serves a model of what the “ideal” sister should be. Although there is no true time-table, like Foucault mentions, in the house, the ones of punctuality are heavily enforced, especially for the mandatory meeting. For a sister that has been caught violating any of the house or sorority rules, they will receive a letter from the Standards committee, which enforce the rules. In private, after the meeting, the committee will meet with the sister and discuss what she did and why it was necessary to bring her “to standards.” Punishment is not physical of course because that violates the rules set forth by the national headquarters but rather that attack “the soul.” The soul, in this case, is house points that a sister receives for every event she attends. Foucault mentions that power can act positively as well, granting rewards for those that follow the rules and the points system is a great example of this premise. The sister accumulates house points that can get her the best room in the house. By attending the events, the girls exchange their souls for the biggest or single room in the house.