Toward A Phenomenology of Depression: Merleau-Ponty and the Plunge into the Present By Jill Marie Gilbert A Thesis presented to The University of Guelph In partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Philosophy Guelph, Ontario, Canada ©Jill Marie Gilbert, January, 2014 ABSTRACT TOWARD A PHENOMENOLOGY OF DEPRESSION: MERLEAU-PONTY AND THE PLUNGE INTO THE PRESENT Jill Gilbert Advisor: University of Guelph, 2014 Dr. John Russon The goal of this work is to try to understand and identify the reality that corresponds to the word “depression.” My orientation is to treat depression as a problem that is nonetheless a way of living, and an experience that will be better understood and articulated through the performing of a phenomenological investigation. I proceed in three stages, and this phenomenology will be the third, and final stage. I present in the first stage crucial insights from the tradition of phenomenological inquiry, regarding what form lived experience actually takes, drawing primarily from Merleau-Ponty and thinkers inspired by him. The second stage draws on a synthetic, historical account to determine what the reality corresponding to depression has been. The third stage of the thesis, and my main accomplishment, will be to unite these first two parts into a phenomenological description of the lived experience of depression. This stage is oriented towards demonstrating that the phenomenon can be understood as the inter-relation of four fundamental features. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It is no doubt true that any acknowledgement page is difficult to write. Not only are there so many people to thank, but the depth of the support that I have felt is great; these are no small or insignificant remarks of gratitude, but rather they reflect a feeling that the people with whom I am intimate and from whom I have learned have allowed for the possibility that this dissertation be completed. When I met John Russon, I knew that I had someone remarkable to guide and teach me. What I did not know, and have come to learn, is that his philosophical work and his dedication to the particulars of my situation reflect one and the same commitment, and would be life changing. He fostered personal growth that allowed for a very different thesis than would otherwise have been. I am profoundly grateful for each and every aspect of my relationship with my teacher and mentor. Bruce Gilbert, philosopher and brother extraordinaire, I thank for his rock-like support and love, conversations about many aspects of the work itself, and all other aspects of my development. There was a sense all along, and indeed throughout my life of Bruce’s presence in which I could always put my trust. I am very fortunate for the supervisory committee I have had. Jay Lampert, my Masters’ supervisor supported my work through to its end. My earlier work on Hegel with him shaped how I was able to read philosophy texts. David Ciavatta gave me many valuable things to think about during final revisions, and also over the years in seminars, reading groups and conversations. He is a friend whose gentle support and friendship was always appreciated. Susan Bredlau was an engaging presence I was fortunate to have as iv my external examiner. Her work on Merleau-Ponty is an inspiration to me. I thank Jeff Mitscherling, my department representative, for his careful questions, his notes on my final copy, and for being a professor I enjoyed studying with from my earliest days at The University of Guelph. There are many friends and colleagues I would like to thank: Karen Robertson, Cristina Ionescu, Laura MacMahon, Don Beith, Shannon Hoff, Scott Marratto, Alexandra Morrison, John Keogh, Whitney Howell, Paul Froese, Mike Stubbs, Katie Freeland, Eve Rabinoff, Joe Arel, Alison Carpenter, Jennifer Gilbert-Walsh, Elisabeth Paquette, Noah Moss Brender, Justin Haynes, Niomi Cherney, Kym Maclaren, Dan Holtl, Jim Gilbert- Walsh, Kirsten Jacobsen, Greg Kirk, Greg Recco, Casey Ford, Stacey Curtis, Melani Tandon, Chris Banks, Jehangir Saleh, Maria Talero, Peter Hill, Greg Kirk, Eric Sanday, Cherilyn Keall, Tara Ostiguy, John Burbidge, Jim Vernon, Belinda Piercy, and Luke Nares. My relationships with all, both personal and philosophical, have been the core and ground from which I have studied and lived. Finally, thank you to my parents, Ann and Alex, and to Betty; people for whom my happiness is tied to their own; thus the happiness that arises from the completion of this project is equally theirs. v Table of Contents Introduction....................................................................................................................................1 Part A: The Nature of Perception Chapter 1: Bodily Nature of Perception Introduction.......................................................................................................................................9 1 Perceiving the Object: The Action and Practice of Making Sense of the World .........................12 Perceiving Oneself as Autonomous—The Habit-Body and the "I Can" ..........................................19 Reading and Dancing—Perception as Immersion, Forgetting and Freedom ..................................29 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................33 Chapter 2: The Temporal Nature of Perception Introduction.................................................................................................................................... 35 1 The Overlaying of a Past with a Present: Habit, Trauma and the Openness to the Present as Present.............................................................................................................................................39 2 The Overlaying of the Future with the Present: Possibility, Transformation and Reality.......... 51 Plunging into the Present: My Self as the Upsurge of Time and Freedom .....................................57 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................................60 Chapter 3: The Intersubjective Nature of Perception Introduction.................................................................................................................................... 61 1 The Sense of One's Presence in the World as Alive and Whole: Mattering .............................. 63 2 The Sense of One's Presence in the World as Continuous in Time: Perspective and Continual Transformation...............................................................................................................................74 The Sense of One's Presence in the World as Real: Bonds and Conversations ...............................79 The Sense of Reality Itself: Being-at-home-in-the-World...............................................................84 Conclusion .....................................................................................................................................88 Part B: Depression Chapter 4: The Phenomenon of Depression: The Development of Both a Historical and an Individual Consciousness Introduction.................................................................................................................................... 91 Ancient Greece to the Romantic Era: Melancholy as Imbalance and Suffering .............................95 2 Emerging Subjectivity in the Romantic Era and Freudian Theory: Melancholy as Mood, Loss and Self Loathing...........................................................................................................................105 Cognitive Theory and the Inability to Act ......................................................................................115 vi 4 Contemporary Cultural Causation Theories: Depression as Alienation, and the Tendency to Isolation........................................................................................................................................120 5 Conclusion: The Developed Consciousness of Depression: Suffering, Self-Loathing, the Inability to Act, and the Tendency to Self-Isolation: Depression as Mal-adjustment .................126 Part C: Phenomenology Chapter 5: A Phenomenological Investigation into the Nature of Depression Introduction..................................................................................................................................129 1 The Inability to Act: Depression's Catalyst.............................................................................. 135 2 Self-Loathing: Depression's Adhesive .......................................................................................153 3 The Tendency to Self-Isolation: Depression's Drive Deeper ......................................................162 4 Suffering: Depression's Prison ...................................................................................................176 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................184 Bibliography ...............................................................................................................................189 vii 1 Introduction We often hear talk about the phenomenon of depression. Depression is a serious issue for those who suffer with it, and how it is understood has a huge impact on its treatments. My goal is not to engage polemically with existing treatments, nor is it