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Four original theatrical productions — captured on video — bring to life some of the most important and difficult theoretical and practical concepts at the intersection of psychology, culture, philosophy and politics.
Written and conceived by Institute Co-Founder, Fred Newman, each of these plays debuted at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association.
Appropriate for undergraduates and graduate students alike, these rich, supplemental teaching tools address in a lively, accessible way such sophisticated methodological issues as:
- the relationship between self and other,
- identity,
- the mind/body dichotomy,
- truth, objectivity and reality,
- interpretation, explanation, and
- dialectical vs. linear thinking....
...and current psychological-philosophical topics such as:
- the linguistic turn in psychology,
- activity theory and cognitive psychology,
- social constructionism,
- narrative therapy,
- performative psychology,
- Lev Vygotsky's approach to development,
- Explanation, interpretation and description, and
- postmodernism's challenge to epistemology.
"Life Upon the Wicked Stage" and "The Myth of Psychology"
These two videos bring the most influential thinkers of the 20th century onto the stage and into your classroom...
Engaging theatrical performances "star" Ludwig Wittgenstein, Lev Vygotsky, Jean Piaget, Leon Trotsky, Franz Kafka, Vladmir Lenin, and Sigmund Freud — together for the first time in fantastical, philosophical dialogue!
"Life upon the Wicked Stage" (35 minutes)
On a single day in the spring of 1916 some of the most influential and controversial thinkers of the last century, arrive in succession at a Geneva café. The espresso and absinthe flow freely. As the day wears on, new friendships are made, and debate gives way to performance. The gaslights flicker, the music swells, and the lithe figures of Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky tap dance with delight across the centuries. Price: $35/Institutional $250
"The Myth of Psychology" (35 minutes)
The therapeutic presenting problem: Marxist developmental psychologist Lev Vygotsky and aristocratic, Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein have been synthesized by postmodern psychology!
In their first therapy session, Lev and Ludwig lay bare the emotional turmoil of being synthesized with someone so dissimilar. "It's an outrage!" cries Wittgenstein, early in the session, to the nonplussed Dr. Bette Braun.
As the session reveals undeniable "family resemblances," the patients are helped to loosen their grip on " the self," and your students learn the importance of the methodological contributions Vygotsky and Wittgenstein have made to postmodern practice.
In the second therapy session (on the same tape) — no longer antagonistic — Vygotsky and Wittgenstein enlist Braun to help them grapple with tough philosophical questions emerging from postmodernism: including, the challenge to epistemology and objectivity, the nature of development, and alienation. It's a dialogue sure to spark ongoing, animated discussion and debate among your students.
Price: $ 35/Institutional $250
"The Story of Truth" and "Diary of a Mad Therapist"
Flash forward to our new millennium and the fierce debate surrounding postmodernism and science...
This second set of teaching videos portrays contemporary therapists and academics as they struggle to bring postmodern insights to their daily practice....
"The Story of Truth (A Whodunit) or Philosophie dans la Théâtre" (45 minutes)
The stage is set for a lecture presentation at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association. The Chair introduces distinguished professor of physics, Dr. Herman Umbeck to polite applause. The audience settles back for a tedious but "important" address on the "varieties of truth." No sooner does Umbeck begin his remarks, than a burly FBI agent accosts him — accusing him of disseminating scientific falsehoods. But wait a minute! Isn't this a play? Since when do actors get arrested for not telling the truth? (And this is just the beginning.)
In Part II, Doctors Sikko (a champion of scientific methodology) and Pomo (a condescending — but despairing — French postmodernist) offer a highly stylized debate on the value of postmodernism.
The closing act to this remarkable play is a dreamlike montage and mime presenting the "epistemological machine." Students encounter, perhaps for the first time, the ultimate challenge — the challenge to reality.
Price: $35/Institutional $250
"Diary of a Mad Therapist" (30 minutes)
What makes for a good therapist?...correct technique?...appropriate objectivity? ...analytic acumen?...interpretative insight? Or is it something else?
Marian (played by comedic actress, Marian Rich) is a funny, middle-aged, Jewish therapist practicing on Manhattan's liberal Upper West Side — and boy is she a nut! But with all her neuroses, she's a skilled practitioner, loved by her patients.
Some characterize her as a narrative therapist. "I do tell stories," she says, "but I'm not looking for a label."
In this theatrical monologue with mesuganuh Marian (originally staged as a presentation to members of the American Psychological Association), we learn the secret to her therapeutic success: the fearlessness and compassion with which she explores her patients' "madness."
This warm, insightful and very funny presentation is a must for clinicians, counselors and therapists in training.
Price: $ 35/Institutional $250
The East Side Institute: A Center for New Approaches to Human Development and Community (video)
This dynamic, 14-minute portrait of the Institute features social therapists, clients, and graduates of the Institute's training program. Meet some of the builders of social therapy. Hear their first-hand accounts of the excitement of creating a new "learning community" — an experiment in creating new ways of being and living together. (East Side Institute, 2002) Price: $15>
Young People Learn by Studying Themselves:
The All Stars Talent Show in Action (video) More >>
This 35-minute video tells the behind the scenes story of the nation's most innovative and effective educational and therapeutic program for inner city youth. Three All Stars “veterans” take you on their nine-month journey as researchers of their program -- including the on-the-job training they received from the East Side Institute, their interviews of dozens of All Stars participants, and their observations and discoveries. This video presentation shows the Institute's performance social therapeutic method in the hands of young people who take it as their own -- and for their own -- learning and development.
(East Side Institute, 2002) Price: $20
Sponsor: Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation
Read a review of this video.
Sexperts: Miscommunication about Teen Pregnancy(video)
A special investigative report that explores the particular difficulties
adults and teens experience in talking and listening to each other on
the topics surrounding teen pregnancy. The producers of Sexperts believe
that the communication gap between adults and young people is no small
part of the "problem." This video is available to help adults
and teens create new and more growthful conversations instead of having
the "same" conversation over and over again. Narrated by Lenora
Fulani, developmental psychologist and senior program advisor of the All
Stars Talent Show Network, one of the the country's most successful
youth development projects. (East Side Institute, 1999) Price: $20
Performing in Kulasi (video)
Shows what developmental performance looks like in two vastly different cultures — US inner cities and war-torn former Yugoslavia. The video focuses on Zdravo Da Ste, a refugee organization in the former Yugoslavia, and the collaboration it began with the East Side Institute during a period of relative calm. The two organizations share a common commitment to supporting people to develop and grow in the face of devastation — an important effort that continues even in the midst of ongoing violence and unrest. This video is offered free of charge to those concerned with possibilities for development in the midst of destruction. (East Side Institute, 1999) Price: $20
Vygotsky in Practice
This video shows several educational, psychotherapeutic and cultural projects for young people and adults that are based on the work of Lev Vygotsky. Fred Newman and Lois Holzman discuss key concepts of activity, learning, development and zone of proximal development from a non-cognitive perspective. (Community Literacy Research Project, 1996) $35.00 To order
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