In this paper I present a comparative analysis of the knowledge discovery process applied by Socrates and the contemporary life coach. On one hand, I will use the method of in-depth analysis of selected (Socratic) dialogues by Plato, and on the other one of coaching practice and coaching values formulated by the International Coach Federation. The term “care of the self” (epimeleia heautou) appears in the Socratic dialogues, Alkibiades I and Apology of Socrates, and this term is juxtaposed with the coaching idea of “being resourceful”. “Taking care of yourself” is about constantly gaining knowledge about yourself. This knowledge is extracted by Socrates and, in contemporary terms, by a life coach. The process of uncovering knowledge involves certain key elements that are shared by both the Socratic method and modern life coaching: establishing a relationship, a purpose and relevant questions. The analysis of each of these elements leads us to the conclusion that the key value of coaching, “the resourceful state of the coach and the coachee”, has its roots in ancient philosophy – in the wisdom of Socrates.
This paper is a part of the research on the language of life coaching. The text describes the influence of the language of business on the way of speaking of a man. In the examined text corpus containing, among others, business cards on websites and blogs of Polish life coaches, press articles, and training offers, a man is presented as capital to invest in to achieve an undefi ned success. A part of the study is the examination of the lexemes inwestycja (investment) and inwestować (to invest) and their collocations. The whole discussion is consistent with a broader reflection on the expansion of the language of business, the language of economics, and the language of neoliberalism over the domains of life which had not been associated with the world of entrepreneurship before.
Artykuł stanowi wycinek badań nad językiem life coachingu. Analizie kognitywnej został poddany korpus tekstów, na który składają się m.in. oferty sesji coachingowych i szkoleń, wizytówki na stronach internetowych i blogach polskich life coachów, artykuły prasowe i internetowe oraz mowy motywacyjne. Przedmiotem analizy jest wpływ języka biznesowego oraz języka neoliberalizmu na sposób mówienia o człowieku. Zasadniczą część pracy stanowi omówienie kategorii zarządzania i sprzedaży, odpowiadających im leksemów oraz ich łączliwości.
EN
This article constitutes broader research on the language of life coaching. The corpus of texts being subjected to cognitive analysis consists of i.a. Polish coaches’ descriptions on their websites and blogs, web and press articles, motivational speeches and offers of coaching sessions and trainings. The present text highlights the influence of business language and neoliberal language on the way in which life coaches describe human beings, their life and behaviour. A linguistic analysis on the categories of management and sales, lexemes corresponding to them, as well as their collocations, constitutes a crucial part of the article.
A partir da década de 1990, a Nova Era deixou de ser visível apenas entre grupos exclusivistas de caráter salvífico, típicos dos anos 1970. Seus valores começaram a ser disseminados na cultura mais ampla naquilo que foi chamado de ethos Nova Era. Este artigo procura mostrar como esses valores são vistos até mesmo no pentecostalismo brasileiro, uma vez que a maioria dos cientistas da religião o ratifica como uma forma de religião que apela mais para o tradicional. Para isso, adotamos o coaching como objeto. Retornamos brevemente à história do coaching e sua relação com a Nova Era. Explicamos então como a difusão do ethos da Nova Era na sociedade em geral levou à incorporação de alguns dos valores e práticas da Nova Era em formas mais tradicionais de religião. Finalmente, discutimos como o coaching foi incorporado à pletora de bens religiosos também oferecidos pelos pentecostais brasileiros, e como o coaching evangélico mantém grande parte da lógica religiosa da própria Nova Era.
EN
From the 1990s on, the New Age ceased to be visible only among the exclusivist groups of salvific character, typical of the 1970s. Its values began to be disseminated among the broader culture through what was called the New Age ethos. This article seeks to show how these values are seen even among Brazilian Pentecostal Denominations. To this end, we adopt life coaching as an object. We briefly return to the history of life coaching and its relation to the New Age. We then explain how the spread of the New Age ethos into the broader society led to the incorporation of some of the New Age values and practices into even institutionalized forms of religion. Finally, we discuss how life coaching became incorporated into the plethora of religious goods also offered by Brazilian Charismatic Christians, and how Evangelical coaching maintains much of the religious logic of the New Age itself.
The paper reconsiders selected themes of the contemporary culture of individualism, particularly related to the therapeutic discourse as analysed by Małgorzata Jacyno. The subjects that are covered in the internet self-help and personal development books constitute the crucial part of this discourse requiring further analysis. The main difference concerns their online accessibility as well as peculiarities of the blogging and e-commerce activities of the personal development consultants and business coaches. Aforementioned themes concerning self-improvement, freeing oneself of the conventional success oppression or life crises overcoming are presented within the notion of success management. This notion undoubtedly needs further analysis as a systematic offer on the personal development market as well as one of the scenarios of individual self-identification involving mainly the realisation of the personal internal potential despite any external circumstances and structural prerequisites.
PL
Wartykule zostały przedstawione wybrane wątki współczesnej kultury indywidualizmu, wszczególności związane zdyskursem terapeutycznym wujęciu nawiązującym do koncepcji Małgorzaty Jacyno. Treści pojawiające się w internetowych poradnikach rozwoju osobistego stanowią część tego dyskursu, wymagającą dalszej analizy ze względu na specyfikę ich dostępności online, a także osobliwości funkcjonowania doradców rozwoju osobistego i coachów biznesu w blogosferze i sferze e-commerce. Wspomniane wątki dotyczące samodoskonalenia, uwolnienia się spod opresji konwencjonalnego sukcesu czy pokonania kryzysów życiowych zostały przedstawione w ramach pojęcia zarządzania sukcesem. To pojęcie niewątpliwie wymaga dalszej analizy jako usystematyzowana oferta na rynku rozwoju osobistego oraz jako jeden ze scenariuszy samoidentyfikacji jednostki ludzkiej, nawiązującej do realizacji jej potencjału wewnętrznego, a pomijającej wszelkie zewnętrzne okoliczności i uwarunkowania strukturalne.
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