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Can integrating Virtual Reality enhance formal stress-management interventions and mechanisms?

July 22, 2024 No Comments

CAN INTEGRATING VIRTUAL REALITY ENHANCE FORMAL STRESS-MANAGEMENT INTERVENTIONS AND MECHANISMS?

ABSTRACT

The following report is centred on examining an exploratory investigation conducted by a collective conglomeration of researchers across Western Europe on the effectiveness of integrating virtual reality with relaxation breathing techniques as a possible stress-management technique (Soyka et al., 2016). This study represents a successful implementation of the development and application strand under the umbrella of science as a human endeavour which can lead to well-designed solutions to current challenges while integrating technology in their design. This report starts by exemplifying both the indirect and direct psychological conceptions dealt with through this paper as well as the findings of this investigation and how it is a classic example of science’s interaction with society while ending with a summative conclusion.

PSYCHOLOGICAL CONCEPTIONS BEHIND STRESS

Being constantly inundated with work tasks and information is the new normal of our fast-paced global society which makes calming our minds increasingly strenuous leading to the development of stress. Environmental stress is responded through the increasing activity of the sympathetic nervous which may result in physiological changes such as fatigue or an intensified heart beat (Lambert & Lambert, 2011). A healthy mechanism the body uses to destress individuals is by allowing the parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) to seize control and bring the body back to a balanced state (Prinsloo et al., 2011) but nowadays people are regularly exposed to stressors on a daily basis meaning they are constantly at a chronic state of imbalance (Lehrer et. Al., 2007).

A more summative approach to define the systematic physiological responses to the prolonged exposure of stress is Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome which commences with the abrupt release of specific hormones that regulate body functions leading to physical responses such as trembling or increased heart rate in what is known as the alarm stage. The body tries to repair itself from the stressor in the upcoming resistance stage but if the stressor persists it will prolong until mental resources have been drained to the extent the body can no longer cope with stress at exhaustion (Selye, 1946). If stress persists, there are changes in immunological functioning and neurotransmissions leading to mental health issues like anxiety and depression (Michie, 2002).

As stress is more regularly experienced by humans, the importance of effective stress-management systems can never be underestimated (Lehrer et al., 2007). One highly recommended method of relieving stress is to use breathing techniques (Donovan & Kleiner, 1994) which is the primary technique of this investigation. Breathing techniques in general help bring in additional oxygen which can deaccelerate the heart rate and calm the human mind summoning the PSNS to propel the body back to a state of mental equilibrium (Yu, 2017).

INVESTIGATION INSIGHTS, IDEAS & EVALUATIONS

The examined study of this report was focused on evaluating whether an underwater world projected through VR technology and combined with breathing techniques was an effective stress-management mechanism as opposed to traditional breathing. The article explicates that paced breathing with 1 breath every 10 seconds leads to an incorporation between heart and breathing rate know as respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) which triggers the PSNS to bring the body to relaxation (Prinsloo et al., 2011). Deep breaths result in neurological messages sent to the brain that calm down its neural pathways leading to relaxation which is then spread around the body. Relaxation alleviates stress by mitigating the physiological effects of the alarm stage such as increased heart rate, fast breathing, and high blood pressure (Healthwise staff, 2016).

One issue with paced breathing methods is that people can easily lose enthusiasm and subsequently disregard the technique (Riva et al., 2007). This investigation tackles this issue by enhancing paced breathing by combining it with virtual environments. Virtual environments Virtual reality (VR) represents advanced computational interfaces that simulate realistic environments where participants can immerse themselves (Zheng, Chan & Gibson, 1998). In fact, immersive VR tools have been identified as a potentially promising tool for positive psychological interventions ranging from CBT to stress-management largely favoured due to its cost-effective nature (Geraets et al., 2021). Furthermore, VR provides a great pathway for destressing through tailored experience that helps induce positive emotions and while allowing them to be engaged in the deep-breathing technique thus helping to mitigate the stressor (Riva et al., 2007).

In this investigation 11 participants were immersed in a virtual underwater environment which featured a jellyfish undergoing rhythmic motions that the participant had to replicate in the form of deep breaths. This was conditioned against an alternate group of 10 participants who only saw a jellyfish with no sounds and environment. Through several measured physiological metrics and feedback, the results seemed promising that VR can indeed assist stress-management techniques. They reported a greater level of enjoyment for the virtual underwater world more in contrast to the empty scene and sought the useful relaxation that was satisfactory to reduce their stress levels. Conclusively, questionnaire and physiological measures put together suggest that the underwater world serves as a potential improvement to current stress-management techniques based on paced breathing, because it was more effective that traditional methods.

ANALYSING THE INVESTIGATION AS SICENCE AS A HUMAN ENDEAVOUR

The above investigation is a classic example that reflects the two-way interaction between science and society under the SHE strands of development and application which starts with scientists responding to economic, social or environmental factors. Predominantly, society has the capacity to shift scientific research patterns through the environmental changes it undergoes. In the context of this article, as stress is more regularly experienced due to the constant bombardment of work, family and school-life pressions breathing techniques act as a bottleneck for effective stress-management. Therefore, more research resources are allocated towards the refinement, enhancement and development of current and new stress-management systems that can re-influence society in a positive manner.

The above investigation also demonstrates that technological development can enhance scientific understanding and its integrations can lead to more refined solutions. For instance, the use of immersive VR technology projecting the sensory imagery of an underwater landscape alongside the traditional use of paced-breathing techniques suggests how revolutionary technological innovations can help improve current mechanisms for stress-management while enhancing our understanding of how stress can be easily mitigated through relaxing virtual environments. The investigation also makes use of medical instrumentation in the form of sensors and amplifies to gather physiological metrics on the stress level of participants which also demonstrates how technology helps simplify and ease our understanding and determination of psychological issues.

Alongside technology, the researchers have also applied psychological conceptions and theories to design their stress-management model. These may include the understanding that pace breathing can help summon the PSNS which can bring the body to state of mental balance and dispel the stressor while understanding that calming visual images such as the seaside can help relax the mind and ease the summoning of the PSNS. In sum, this manifests the importance of applying past psychological concepts in the development and design of smarter solutions to stagnant issues like stress.

Finally, the two-way interaction between science and society also means that the findings of this investigation can also impact several stakeholders within society in contradicting ways. Overall, the refined of breathing techniques with VR will benefit society including workers, students and family members who are constantly under stress as they would find that pace-breathing in a relaxing virtual environment would be more engaging and effective to their mitigation of stress as opposed to just breathing in a mundane environment. Hence implementing this technique can improve the quality of life of those stressed. Instantaneously, this might influence further groups like schools, enterprises and government entities as stress reduces among individuals’ productivity rates would increase which may result in better academic performance among schools, increased profits for enterprises and stronger economic growth and income distributions which allows governments to tax more.

Furthermore, this study could also motivate further research groups to tests the use of alternative VR environment with breathing techniques or new breathing methods to further enhance and refine the techniques which could lead to better stress management mechanisms in the future. Although the clinical use of VR maybe cost effective as opposed to human effort, the use of VR does have its limitations as it is not accessible by all income groups due to its cost of acquisition so the effects of this technique maybe split between the wealthy and poor. Finally, over-reliance on VR for stress-management can lead to new issues such as headaches or even delusion when individuals may have trouble adjusting from the virtual underwater display to the real-world causing confusion (Joshi, 2022). .

CONCLUSION

Conclusively, this study which successively applies the concepts of science as a human endeavour is of immense use to several stakeholder groups as it represents a unique and innovative solution that integrates both tradition and technology to solve the daily encounter of stress. However further research is need to help make the technology accessible and affordable while supplementary research is required to understand how to eliminate the harmful effects of VR for its users. Moreover,th study must investigate more diverse samples outside of Eurocentric populations, using alternate techniques to breathing and new virtual environments such as cities or grasslands to truly determine whether this method can be replicated and applied to clinical settings where stress management is regularly practiced.

REFERENCES

Donovan, S.B. and Kleiner, B.H., 1994. Effective stress-management. Managerial Auditing Journal.

Geraets, C.N., Van der Stouwe, E.C., Pot-Kolder, R. and Veling, W., 2021. Advances in immersive virtual reality interventions for mental disorders: A new reality?. Current opinion in psychology, 41, pp.40-45

Healthwise Staff (no date) Stress management: Breathing exercises for relaxation, MyHealth.Alberta.ca Government of Alberta Personal Health Portal. Available at: https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Health/pages/conditions.aspx?hwid=uz2255#:~:text=This%20is%20because%20when%20you,you%20breathe%20deeply%20to%20relax. (Accessed: December 30, 2022).

Joshinav, N. (2022) Is VR harmful for your brain? : Disadvantages of VR, Application development. Available at: https://www.allerin.com/blog/is-vr-harmful-for-your-brain (Accessed: December 30, 2022).

Lambert, E.A. and Lambert, G.W., 2011. Stress and its role in sympathetic nervous system activation in hypertension and the metabolic syndrome. Current hypertension reports, 13(3), pp.244-248.

Lehrer, P., Kristeller, J.L., Woolfolk, R.L. and Sime, W.E., 2007. Principles and practice of stress management. Eds. P. Lehrer, RL.\

Michie, S., 2002. Causes and management of stress at work. Occupational and environmental medicine, 59(1), pp.67-72.

Prinsloo, G.E., Rauch, H.L., Lambert, M.I., Muench, F., Noakes, T.D. and Derman, W.E., 2011. The effect of short duration heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback on cognitive performance during laboratory induced cognitive stress. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 25(5), pp.792-801.

Riva, G., Mantovani, F., Capideville, C.S., Preziosa, A., Morganti, F., Villani, D., Gaggioli, A., Botella, C. and Alcañiz, M., 2007. Affective interactions using virtual reality: the link between presence and emotions. Cyberpsychology & behavior, 10(1), pp.45-56.

Selye, H., 1946. The general adaptation syndrome and the diseases of adaptation. The journal of clinical endocrinology, 6(2), pp.117-230.

Soyka, F., Leyrer, M., Smallwood, J., Ferguson, C., Riecke, B.E. and Mohler, B.J., 2016, July. Enhancing stress-management techniques using virtual reality. In Proceedings of the ACM symposium on applied perception (pp. 85-88)

Yu, C. (2016) Deep breathing techniques can relieve your stress, Dignity Health | Why Deep Breathing Techniques Work. Available at: https://www.dignityhealth.org/articles/deep-breathing-techniques-can-relieve-your-stress (Accessed: December 30, 2022).

Zheng, J.M., Chan, K.W. and Gibson, I., 1998. Virtual reality. Ieee Potentials, 17(2), pp.20-23.

Written by: Mineka

My Writing Corner Philosophy Symposium

THE PLEASURE PARADOX

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THE PLEASURE PARADOX

Philosophical Examination of Pleasure

Prior to contemporary accounts that examined the philosophy of pleasure, hedonism and epicureanism were widespread schools of thought that incorporated the ideas of pleasure into value theorems that denoted answers to the widely held question on how to live a fulfilling life. Hedonism is one such theoretical framework that entails a preliminary perspective on how humans should incorporate pleasure into their lives by presenting it as the highest good and most fundamental of all human actions. These propositions are consistent with scientific insights through psychology which suggest that our brains and neural wiring is powered in a way such that they are designed for pleasure and that the subsequent lack of pleasure is an immediate source of discomfort. Despite this, the idea of hedonism is often critiqued as it implies that if seeking pleasure is indeed the ultimate good, one may even consider pursuing immoral paths and actions in order to achieve it.

The moral limitations of plain hedonism gave rise to an amended form of thinking known as Ethical Hedonism which later grew into Hedonistic Utilitarianism which both emphasise the purist of pleasure done in the best interests of all societal players and that acts of pleasure that maximise total wellbeing are superior to those that minimise total wellbeing. These enhancements to hedonistic thinking can also be compared against another form of thinking known as Epicureanism which while being consistent to hedonistic pleasure posits that the absence of pain and state of tranquillity are also equivalent forms of pleasure which helped curtailed the perception of pleasure as the primary motive of all mortal beings. Through these advancements in thinking, pleasure was grounded in morality; the mere idea of immorally pursuing pleasure with a disregard for other beings was conceived to be wrong as it is today. Nonetheless excessive consumption of pleasure is still prevalent in cosmopolitan societies today and immoral pursuits may still arise when humanity is left in catastrophic predicament which once again brings light to hedonistic theories. But to what extent does the pursuit of pleasure help solve our lives’ quest for happiness? If pleasure if the ultimate good, why are many of those who are surrounded by the pleasures of life exhibit existential questioning? To do so we must seek the foundations of hedonistic theory and understand the metaphysical principles that govern pleasure which leads us to paradoxical proposition as philosophers have done before? The following theory develops this paradox by visualising it into matrices and simplistic words that are feasible to digest.

The Pleasure Properties-Human Experience Matrix

Before attempting to logically construct the pleasure paradox, it is helpful to relate the properties of pleasure to everyday human experiences. This involves understanding and examining hypothetical real-life examples in which the properties of pleasure are inherently displayed and identifying their relationship to the facets of human experience. In other words, we are trying to see the intersection between each property of pleasure to each dimension of human experience which can be ideally visualised through a 2D Matrix. However, in order to achieve this, we must further simplify the definition of human experience from its phenomenological complexity into three foundational dimensions: For the purpose of our analysis these dimensions are: Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual.

Physical refers to sensory and bodily experiences, including activities like eating, exercising, and engaging in sexual activity. These experiences are directly tied to the tangible, corporeal aspect of being human.
Emotional encompasses feelings and psychological states such as happiness, sadness, love, and anger. These experiences are integral to our mental well-being and shape our interpersonal relationships.
Spiritual pertains to a sense of connection to something greater than oneself, which might include religious beliefs, philosophical reflections, and experiences of awe or transcendence. These experiences contribute to our sense of purpose and meaning in life.

Simplifying human experience into these dimensions not only enhances the model’s relevance but also makes it more comprehensible and easier to develop further through value theory. These dimensions would form the vertical axis of our matrix. Our final challenge is defining the properties of pleasure which is complex endeavour with various thinkers sharing diverse ideas. For the purposes of developing the pleasure paradox, I have coined three epithets, named the 3 Es, which effectively characterises pleasure leaning more towards its downside. Although summarised briefly below, we would explore these properties further in the following section where we would investigate the linear chronology between each propery and attempt to logically construct the paradoxical relationship between pleasure and human experience.

Pleasure is Ephemeral: This refers to the fleeting, sensory, and bodily experiences, that area associated with pleasure-giving activities and behaviours which are often short-lived and directly tied to the tangible or corporeal aspect of being human. It relates to the idea of entropy, in which pleasure maybe viewed as an ecstatic energy that lasts a while before it immediately disorients and dissolves into the abyss of our minds.
Pleasure is Eternal: This encompasses the idea that the need for pleasure and its pursuit remains a universal and invariant need that humans frequently crave and is crucial to our existence. As we see later, this describes the need rather than the impact of pleasure and demonstrates a link with Property 1.
Pleasure is Evil: This concept typically pertains to the cynical view that due to the eternality of pleasure, it maybe consumed in ways that conflict with moral frameworks, leading to methods that pursue pleasure through extremely degenerate and detrimental ways that harm the wellbeing of others and themselves.

The matrix is born out of two axes with the properties of pleasure (3 Es) listed horizontally and the dimensions of human experience listed vertically. The intersection of a property and dimensions results in an example of an experience that connects properties with the dimensions of human experience. It is important to note that the matrix itself is not a concrete theorem and that there can be potentially limitless amounts of examples in each intersection that is formed.

Physical	The satisfaction derived from eating a meal is short-lived; Hunger returns as it does three times a day during Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.	The need for pleasure like food and sex are instinctually driven and remain an eternal and constant need by mortal beings.	The deprivation of food may lead to one attempting to steal or force its consumption from another person leading to harm.
Emotional	The ecstatic emotions presented during masturbation are desirable but short-lived leaving most people desiring for more.	Our inherent desire for social connections including both companionship and love remains an eternal need in our quest to meaning.	The inability to seek romantic attachment can lead to one grooming another into an affair resulting in a harmful and ingenuine relationship.
Spiritual	Spiritual Experiences like worship, sex and meditation are relinquished immediately after we are propelled back in to day-to-day struggles.	Our quest for meaning and spiritual fulfilment remains an integral part of our lives and within each human is a question on divinity that remains constant against time.	The pursuit of spiritual endeavours may cause indirect harm to others through compromise that maybe unfair to other parties.
Dimension / Property	Pleasure is Ephemeral	Pleasure is Eternal	Pleasure is Evil

The Triangular Paradox of Pleasure – The 3Es

The paradox of pleasure is not some ground-breaking philosophical theory that is set to disorient the mannerisms of mankind but is a widely agreed consensus held along different philosophical thinkers that is to be expressed in an insightful manner. It is a paradox that stems from classical hedonistic theories that proclaim pleasure as the greatest virtue implying that the best way to live a fulfilling existence is to pursue acts of pleasure at every turn. This approach to life has issues inherent at its core which in turn can draw it ways to the trade-offs of pleasure that form an infamous insight – The Paradox of Pleasure. This paradox can be expressed graphically as a triangular pyramid with each vertex constituting a unique property of the human pursuit of pleasure that through interaction create the paradox that helps logically refute the claim that hedonistic living is the best way to live one’s life. To the linguistically-inclined these properties can be collectively referred to as the three.

The 3 Es start from the bottom left at the most fundamental property that characterises human pleasure:

Pleasure is Ephemeral. This is a central tenet of the paradox of hedonism that posits that the pleasure derived from any pleasure-inducing activity like a sexual stimulation or culinary savouring is short-lived and temporary. The idea of attaining human flourishing through the repeated consumptions of pleasure is inconsistent with the idea that as a human species total fulfilment is never possible in the course of one’s ordinary existence. Upon consuming an act of pleasure, we are often left with a fleeting sense of completeness that lasts just under the fraction of a minute before it dematerialises, fades and delves deeper into the abyss of our minds where it is eventually extinguishes and restores us to our generalised state of human incompleteness. Hedonistic followers would resolve this loss by engaging in subsequent rounds of pleasure. However, if we pause to reflect, we can metaphorically view our lives as cycles oscillating between states of completeness and fulfilment. If we, as a human race, choose the pursuit of instant gratification as our approach to human flourishing, we will perpetually fluctuate between these two states in a constant flux whose net result would be an enduring sense of dissatisfaction, temporarily alleviated only by fleeting moments of pleasure. Moreover, if we analyse pleasure through its mathematical terms, subsequent pursuits of instant gratification yield diminishing marginal returns, suggesting that while overall pleasure may increase, it does so at a decreasing rate. The ephemeral principle thus implies that continuous gratification results in progressively smaller increments of pleasure which logically, according to hedonistic principles, can only be resolved by persisting acts of gratification, thus constructing the second property that
Pleasure is Eternal: Although the idea that pleasure is eternal may initially sound oxymoronic when linked with ephemerality of pleasure, it must be understood that what this property entails is that the need for pleasure is eternal among humans given its ephemeral characteristics. Humans by nature would desire limitless amounts of money to cave into its many needs and wants similar to limitless amounts of sexual activity that allow us to experience ferocious orgasms that connect us as close as possible to the supremacy of eternal bliss. These basic insights are indicative that instant gratification is universal and invariant amongst members of the human race making it an eternal need to fuelling our existence. Most notably, the crucial factor that underscore this property is the previous roperty that entails the ephemerality of pleasure whereby by acts of gratification are insufficient in sustaining completeness creating a constant flux that propels us to consuming further rounds of pleasure making it an eternal need. This interrelationship forms the cornerstone to the triangular pleasure paradox and can be logically completed by the final property of pleasure which in turn is intertwined with the previous two properties.
Pleasure is Evil: To complete our triangular paradoxical matrix, we must switch from deductive to abductive reasoning by assessing the likely implications that the previous two properties of pleasure entail on the greater good of humanity. One assessment concludes that if pleasure is ephemeral making it’s need eternal, hedonistic individuals may have the tendency to seek pleasure irrespective and devoid of the moral norms, constructs and principles that forms the constitution of modern day society. As such hedonists would be functioning on psychic drive that motivates them to immediately cave into impulses like the natural libidic or gastronomic drive with a disregard for the external environment. As such individuals have the capacity to be overpowered by self-interested psychic drives that can result in them engaging in morally corrupt or sadistic practices all in the name of gratifying pleasure. This principle is consistent with religions that encapsulate pleasure as a double-edged institution that if not restricted through ethical frameworks can morally corrupt humans by causing them to engage in evil which would ultimately be punished by what religion defined as predestination (Kismet),

Synthesis of Ideas

This thereby completes our triangular matrix and formulates our understanding on the paradox of pleasure. The diagrammatic representation helps plot the properties of pleasure which have been simplified through the 3 Es and thereby interconnected with arrows to show interactions that help revive this age-old paradox. In summary, instant gratification helps derive pleasure but is ephemeral (short-lived) to the extent that we are restored to our general state of incompleteness which we justify by engaging in subsequent acts of pleasure with diminishing marginal returns. As such our need for pleasure is eternal despite the outcome of pleasure being ephemeral creating a paradoxical bilateral relationship that through abductive reasoning could lead us to deploying evil strategies gratify our desires driven by an inner psychic tour de force. Henceforth, the paradox is logically completed and helps harness the terrifying portrait and shocking revelation of hedonistic lifestyles and their inherent meaningless.

Written by: Mineka

My Writing Corner Philosophy Symposium

THE GAUSSIAN SPECTRUM OF LIVING

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THE GAUSSIAN SPECTRUM OF LIVING

An Axiological Thought Experiment

Transport yourself back to a Classical Athenian Symposium during the 4th Century BC and envision three fervent philosophers (A,B and C) converging to unravel the profound inquiries that shaped the essence of Ancient Hellenic society. These youthful intellectuals radiate a contagious intellectual vigour; their discussions flow seamlessly among the symposium’s participants, seemingly immune to the intoxicating effects of the wines swirling in their bronze goblets. Amidst the flickering torchlight and the scent of aromatic oils, their debates intensify, unravelling old answers while birthing fresh questions. With each exchange, they engage in a relentless pursuit of truth, challenging and refining each other’s arguments in a perpetual cycle of emergence and decay.

It is in these moments of rigorous inquiry, during symposia of classical Athens, that the true essence of philosophy reveals itself in its classical setting—a perpetual quest for an understanding that thrives on the tension between emergence and decay, continually reshaping its contours with each dialectical turn. The young philosophers, as guided by teachings of their masters, engage in a relentless pursuit of wisdom, refining and refuting each other’s arguments. However, though initially undeterred by the psychedelic properties of their beverages, after an hour of insightful debate the symposium reshapes its humble ambience descending into a hedonistic anarchy as each philosopher strips apart their chiton and explore the abyss of their bodily desires on each other culminating in a deep slumber that lasts till dawn when the philosophers are awaken and leave the scene without a single lexicon.

This analogy forms the foundation of the Gaussian Spectrum of Living, a simplistic philosophical model derived by 18-year-old Eurytus as he obsequiously observed the proceedings of that night, being awake throughout the symposium while not taking sip of the wine he was refused from drinking. Amongst the many axiological questions that emerged that night as the trio discussed and debated, Eurytus was most intrigued and drawn to the most basic yet complex question of them all “How to live one’s life?”. Through his eye-witness, he labels each philosopher with an ideological response to the question and draws what he believes is a diagram that applies the question and explicates it to the Hellenistic population he knew and lived amongst. The following is a summary of his record:

The Trilogy of Thought

At the start of the symposium, the three philosophers began with casual conversations about personal and political matters. As the night progressed, their discussions evolved into intense philosophical debates, sparking a continuous cycle of questioning and answering. Their shared goal seemed to be reshaping the Hellenistic world through logic and reason. Yet, this intellectual pursuit was short-lived. As they indulged in wine, their focus shifted, and the symposium transformed into a scene of extravagant sexual indulgence. Despite each philosopher encapsulating a different response to the question on how to live one’s life, the trio had unconsciously lived through each of their responses as they cycled through that night, To live as a realist, To live as an idealist or To live as a hedonist. Despite their paradoxical behaviour, each had his own intuitions, so one was a realist and the other was an idealist while the other one was a hedonist. Here they are described:

Philosopher A – The Idealist who slurped on a syrupy fluid of Mastika, He leads a school of thinkers that claims a minority equivalent to the holding of C. His embodiment of human life is a machine of change capable of unleashing his potential for either himself or the world by recognising and reconciling the power of his mind and intellect to actualise wonders that cure his soul and the souls of others. Through gradually climbing the ladder of life and by ameliorating our psyche, our body and soul we are pushed further to supreme heights of humanity whereby we realise our full potential and change the ways of the world, only for the greater good. We may die with a goblet of hemlock, an arrow pierced into our skin or a natural death on a tranquil bed but we know we have full filed our role as humans and not as animals.
Philosopher B – The Realist who slurped on a plain goblet of wine, He leads a school of thinkers that claims more students than those of A and C. His embodiment of human life is cycle of debts that gradually troughs and peak as we progress through stages. These debts are commitments, obligations and duties that one must satisfy and complete in his lifestyle without overdoing or underdoing. Through gradually flattening what he refers to as our ‘debt curve’ and through conforming to the norms, constructs and expectations of the social fabric we humans are freed from the complexities of existence and our obligations to society and become part of the population that dies a peaceful death in a tranquil bed.
Philosopher C –The Hedonist who relished the aged wine, leads a school rivaling A and B combined. He views human life as an unrestrained celebration of pleasure, rejecting societal norms and moral constructs. For him, true fulfillment comes from indulging in all forms of gratification—be it sensory or sensual. According to Philosopher C, the essence of human existence lies in maximizing personal enjoyment without the constraints of societal expectations. He advocates a life free from moral obligations, where happiness is found in the immediate pursuit of pleasure. By embracing desires and passions unapologetically, he believes individuals can achieve the highest state of happiness and fulfilment.

The Schools of Living: The Gaussian Spectrum

Despite the tumultuous events of that night, the three philosophers articulated their distinct arguments in a manner that profoundly addressed the question of “How should one live one’s human life?” Yet, what reveals a paradox within their thinking is how each philosopher embodies aspects of the others’ schools of thought through their behaviours on that night. Initially resembling B, the realist, they discussed practical obligations and societal norms. As the symposium progressed, their discourse elevated to resemble A, the idealist, emphasizing change and human potential. However, as the influence of alcohol grew, they eventually descended into the hedonistic perspective of C, indulging in sensual pleasures.

This progression mirrors the complexities of the Hellenistic world, where individuals grappled with varying approaches to life. The realist perspective, akin to Philosopher B, resonated with those who sought stability through fulfilling social obligations and duties. The idealist viewpoint, akin to Philosopher A, appealed to those driven by aspirations of personal and societal transformation. Conversely, the hedonistic outlook of Philosopher C catered to those who prioritised immediate personal gratification over societal norms and moral constraints. Eurytus used the infamous, Normal Distribution curve, as we now know it, to embed the Hellenistic population into these schools of though as denoted by the philosophical trio. They yield a fascinating insight that maybe akin to how the current world’s population fits into these schools of thoughts as described below:

A (10%) – Amongst us humans, there exists only a minority that goes onto questioning and challenge societal systems, hierarchies and constructs with an intrinsic aspiration to better mankind through whichever endeavour it maybe. They may comprise a mere 10% of the population and are bold risk takers who maybe targeted for the ideas or values they introduce. These people reciprocate the ideology of Philosopher A (The Idealist). Eg: Socrates
B (80%) The majority of us fit into B who live by the flow by conforming to social norms, constructs and hierarchies and do not intend to go further in advocating change or progressing mankind. They may comprise 80% of the population and are ambivalent beings. These people reciprocate the ideology of Philosopher B (The Realist). Eg: Athenian Free Women
C (10%) – Finally, there exists another minority that goes onto challenge societal systems, hierarchies and constructs with a more self-interested aspiration which maybe to pursue pleasure in either way, be it good or bad. They may comprise another mere 10% of the population and are often characterised as non-altruistic and selfish for having echoes pleasure as their highest virtue. These people reciprocate the ideology of Philosopher B (The Hedonist). Eg: Aristippus

Written by: Mineka

Critique Corner My Writing Corner

The Indulgence of Italian Imagery: Lyrical Analysis of Lana Del Rey’s ‘Salvatore’

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The Indulgence of Italian Imagery: Lyrical Analysis of Lana Del Rey’s ‘Salvatore’

This song evokes the memories of an American city girl, once naïve to love, as she reminisces about the intimate, passionate, and sensual experiences she shared with her lover during an Italian summer. As she descends into a state of mild depression, she mends her depressive and nostalgic thoughts in an ethereal manner by finding magic, passion, and beauty in her sadness. She almost indulges in and delves into her personal misery in an enigmatic yet mystically magical way. The following analysis unveils these insights.

All the lights in Miami begin to gleam– The brightly shining lights of Miami serve as a memento, retrieving the grandeur of memories from that Italian summer she shared with her Romeo. Their gleaming power may be symbolic of the Italian summer sun and its role in dispersing the intimate energy that radiates across the Mediterranean region.
Ruby, blue and green, neon too – Colour imagery reflects and resonates the colours of Italy with ruby-coloured houses and hamlets, blue bodies of water and green cypress trees that ornately embellished the neon green meadows of Tuscany.
Everything looks better- Hyperbole to reflect her deep sense of appreciation towards the beauty of Italy from above my king Allusion to her enigmatic lover indicating their patronage of an elegantly rich and almost regal relationship in Italy.
Like aqua marine, ocean’s blue – While the colour symbolism maybe an extended metaphor to elongate the ethereal and enchanting beauty of Summer Italy, it may also be symbolic to the onset of her depressive symptoms where blue elicits an unconscious sensation of desolation as the nostalgia she experiences is met with a silently sweeping desperate sense of longing and despair triggering mild depression.

Ah ah ah ah
Ah ah ah ah – Onomatopoeic lexical choices evocate the passionate flow of her thought as she continues to reminisce the delightful and nostalgic memories while simultaneously experiencing the coincident feelings of grief and desperation as a result of her train of thought. In one lens, the words may mimic the sound of quivering as she deals with the perpetual loss of such nostalgic memories or, through another lens, it may envision her indulgence in misery as she savours the amalgamation of sadness and nostalgia rather than agonising it like most humans thus accepting her emotional states as pleasant or unpleasant as they are.
Cacciatore – Allusions to her lover, possible words she might have learned been thrown into the lyrics to illustrate the unsystematic randomness yet beautiful manner through which her train of though is flowing. Cacciotore meaning ‘Hunter’ is a symbolism of a person who provides and is adventurous which may reflect the nature of her lover and how she appreciates this manly quality.
La da da da da
La da da da da – Further onomatopoeic sounds and lexis that connects the flow of her thoughts by expressing her medley of feelings and emotions comprised of ecstasy, nostalgia, grief and dreaminess.
Limousines – She may have driven around Italy in her Romeo’s limousines which visually deconstructs the image of a rich and regal lifestyle which she lived through with her lover that Summer. These words are also expressions of freedom, in this case the freedom to spread apart in the space of a limousine, which maybe constrained or lacking in her current American life as opposed to that one Italian summer.

Ah ah ah ah
Ah ah ah ah
Ciao amore
La da da da da
La da da da da
Soft ice cream – Visual Image of Ice cream connotes Italian gelato once again showing the random yet ethereal flow of her train of though as she jumps from one memento to another all weaves and knitted together with nostalgic, ecstasy and grief. The soft ice cream may further symbolise the sensual intimacy and voluptuous memories she would have shared with her lover from classic caressing, passionate pecks and many more.

All the lights are sparkling for you it seems – Structural change from gleaming to sparkling lights illustrates the transitioning from seeing Italy to her Lover in her visions. As she ponders upon the handsome, well-built and enchanting silhouette of her lover the lights of Miami sparkle in her mind as her eyes are lit and consumed by her attraction towards just as the first time they would’ve met in Italy.
On the downtown scenes, shady blue– Lexical Choices like “down” “shady” and “blue” lie in the semantic field of depression reinforcing that while she is consumed by the cerebral appearance of her lover and aesthetically pleasured by the beauty of Italy, she is still undergoing a concurrent feeling of misery and loss that she battles with by indulging in it.
Beatboxing and rapping in the summer rain
Like a boss – Simile of Talent and Experience , he sang Jazz and Blues – Transitioning from the materialisation of her lover she diverts her attention to his excellent skill in music. Musical lexis like “Jazz” and “Blue” coincidentally give birth to auditory images of romantic sounds in the rain signifying another passionate and intimate memory that means a lot to her.

Chorus (Repeat)

The summer’s hot – May have a multitude of meanings, maybe it is that the summer of Italy was hot bought in literal as well as euphemistic sexual terms as well as the summer she is currently expediting in Miami. However, the word “Hot” may be implicit symbol of another emotion that is growing within her which maybe anger and furiousness of having distanced with her lover and not being bale to relive these passionate memories.

And I’ve been waiting for you all this time – Signifies that she has been waiting for his return but never satisfied her desire indicating possible perpetual loss and distance from her lover? A growing sense of anger?
I adore you, can’t you see – Direct Address to Lover, questions his common sense and consciousness as it changes the tone of these lyrics from a light-hearted to a more defensive, furious and distressed tone indicating her increasing mental pain and pressure., you’re meant for me?
Summer’s hot but I’ve been cold without you – Juxtaposing images of coldness and heat adds to the combination of both her grief and growing sense of frustrating fury towards him for not returning to her.
I was so wrong not to tell, I’m in regine, tangerine dreams – Returns from frustration to a delightful tone as she remembers how she has entered an internal state of mind and that although her visons and dreams deliver a medley of both happiness and sadness, their product is an ultimate state of comfort and pleasure that she consumes and digests through her intricate recollection of memories. Nevertheless, the erratic changes in tone portrays the bipolarity of her emotional states which is common in case of mild nostalgic depression.

Catch me if you can – Rhyming pattern of couplets develops as she now systematically jumps from one final set of memories to another, a possible vison of them playing an athletic game by the seaside,
Working on my tan – Images of her sensually sunbathing in the light of helios while its energies gently craft a tan on her sun-kissed skin.
Salvatore – Saviour, first allusion and reinforcement of title signifies how her lover may have had almost Jesus (God-like) qualities and the importance he would have served in saving her from a previous mental trauma or memory and that she still respects him for that.
Dying by the hand – Death is symbolic to a passionate death or death of ones depressive emotions and the onset of more exhilarated ones referring to a deeply sexual memory.
Of a foreign man – A reference to her lover not being American like her but Italian?
Happily – Isolated word in structure…sums up the experience between him and her in Italy
Calling out my name
In the summer rain- More passionate and intimate memories deduced… this one illustrates how hearing the very acoustic sound her would have melted her heart and given her a sense of sensual pleasure.
Ciao amore- A line that has being repeated throughout the chorus but only at the end does it make sense as she recollects and complies all her memories in her mind she now begins to release that her aspiration for his return are a hopeless dream and that she says Goodbye to her lover thanking him for everything she has done and appreciating the beauty of every memory she has with him with core memories being in the chorus.
Salvatore can wait – Fragmented statement… Salvatore can wait in Italy signifying she no longer expects his return deducing a tone of finality.
Now it’s time to eat
Soft ice cream– An image of her returning back to the present and to a normal life sitting and eating ice cream indicating her resignation from the mental utopia we deconstructed above. In another perspective, as argued the soft ice cream symbolised intimate and deeply sensual memories but, in this context, ‘eat’ would mean partially deleting these memories from her memory system in attempt to completely eradicate the memories of that Italian Summer in preparation for a new love strory.

Ah ah ah ah – Onomatopoeic lexical choices evocate the passionate flow of her mind and soul as she continues to reminisce the delightful and nostalgic memories while simultaneously experiencing the coincident feelings of grief and desperation as a result of her train of thought. In one lens, the words may mimic the sound of quivering as she deals with perpetual loss of those nostalgic memories or in another lens may elicit a vision of ecstasy where she indulges in her own sadness and enjoys its presence rather than agonise them.
Cacciatore – Allusions to lover, possible words she might have learned been thrown into the lyrics to illustrate the random yet beautiful manner through which her train of though is flowing. Cacciotore meaning ‘Hunter’ is a symbolism of a person who provides and is adventurous which may reflect the nature of her lover and how she appreciates this manly quality.
La da da da da
La da da da da – Further onomatopoeic sounds and lexis that connects the flow of her thoughts by expressing her medley of feelings and emotions comprised of ecstasy, nostalgia, grief and dreaminess.
Limousines – She may have driven around Italy in her Romeo’s limousines which visually deconstructs the image of a rich and regal lifestyle which she lived through with her lover that Summer.

Ah ah ah ah
Ah ah ah ah
Ciao amore
La da da da da
La da da da da
Soft ice cream – Visual Image of Ice cream symbolises Italian gelato once again showing the random yet ethereal flow of her train of though as she jumps from one memento to another all weaves and knitted together with nostalgic, ecstasy and grief. The soft ice cream may further symbolise the sensual intimacy and voluptuous memories she would have shared with her lover from classic caressing, passionate pecks and many more.