Breaking through reality : occult aesthetics in popular culture as an instrument of personal liberation
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| Year of publication | 2022 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | Individuation, according to the Jungian psychological approach, can be seen as a process of self-realization, or finding oneself and becoming who one really is. The contemporary culture, often too focused on efficiency expressed through monetary values, is creating the dangers of discrepancy, between the function accepted by the society and the desired self-image of the individual. Personal philosophies are often put aside to abide the requirements of the functionality. Liberation from these psychological, as well as social shackles can be achieved through different means. An increasing number of psychologists and medical specialists are acknowledging the beneficial effect of pop-culture in its varying forms. Depictions of the occult arts, be it fictional or inspired by real-life historical characters, has over the years established a stable position within the mainstream culture. This presentation will focus on this specific category of occult-inspired pop-cultural expressions in videogames, animation, and graphical novels. Despite being often regarded as “low art”, my ongoing research is showing that each of these has significant influence on the formation of the self among a broad population. Reaching from the reevaluation of personal values, through developing a new personality of an “active magical practitioner”, to straight up therapeutical effects with mental issues. On several selected case studies, I will demonstrate what importance in self-identification these works of popular fiction had on the respondents, and what could be their potential health benefits in the future. |
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