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Gordon Howe
Gaylon Ferguson
Capstone I
Introduction and Literature Review
My thesis research is an investigation into the root and contributing causes
of anxiety and depression in the context of modern American culture. My goal is
to examine various perspectives on the development of the postmodern industrial
worldview and culture, and its effect on the human mind. Contributing
psychological, ontological, and epistemological factors will also be considered.
Additionally, relevant observations of social and economic trends in American
culture will be surveyed. As a part of my analysis of these emotional states, I plan
to incorporate applicable studies in neuroscience; consequently, my research
process will integrate an exploration of how meditation can be used, and is being
used, to treat and alleviate these emotional states.
The curiosity fueling my research stems from my own experiences with
undesirable emotional states such as anxiety and depression, and the subsequent
alleviation of those states through meditation instruction and practice. Though I
would call myself a beginner as far as meditation experience is concerned, I have
can share that meditation has given me another option in addition to the
experience of my own suffering. The term undesirable is often used to describe
certain emotional states, like anxiety, depression, fear, aggression, hatred,
jealousy, and so on. And my experience is that, at times, it seems like the hellfire
of those emotions is inescapable. As much as I may want to just be done feeling
angry or jealous, I simply cannot get away from it in the moment. But even a

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simple meditation technique like following the breath is enough to help me relax
and let the feeling move through. Over time, I have noticed all kinds of beneficial
effects from meditation practice. Ive been able to process trauma, support and
strengthen my body and mind, and feel love for myself and everything and
everyone in my experience. But as a beginner, I feel Im just scratching the
surface. The point is, I dont see any reason why meditation should not be
available to everyone, as a tool for working with emotional states, if nothing else.
My research here is to synthesize various perspectives on what causes these
undesirable emotional states, and see what approaches exist to alleviating them.
Before exploring the causes of anxiety and depression, it is important to
first understand how those states are defined. To that effect, my research will
consider various perspectives found in Daniel Golemans Destructive Emotions
and Dr. Richard Davidsons book The Emotional Life of Your Brain. Goleman is a
psychologist and writer, most famous for his groundbreaking book Emotional
Intelligence. In Destructive Emotions, Goleman has created a the transcripts
from a profound dialogue between many outstanding scientists, philosophers,
and His Holiness the Dalai Lama (the exiled Tibetan leader, monk, and
humanitarian) on the topic of destructive emotional states. Richard Davidson is a
renowned researcher known for his work in the field of neuroscience and
particularly, his research into the neuroscience of emotion and the effects of
meditation on the brain. I believe that incorporating Davidsons work will help
contextualize meditation in a practical sense and clarify its effects. Both books
should prove useful in describing anxiety and depression from a scientific
viewpoint, and tracing their physiological and neurological causes.

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Anxiety is said to be comprised of subjectively unpleasant feelings of
dread over anticipated events (Davison 2001). In consideration of that
definition, I feel obliged to investigate how our perception of time divided into
past, present, and future, for example facilitates the experience of anxiety. In
Beyond Culture, renowned anthropologist and cross-cultural researcher Edward
T. Hall identifies two primary systems of time utilized in different cultures:
monochronic time and polychronic time. In a monochronic time system, there is
an emphasis on events happening one at a time. Divisions of time into hours,
minutes and seconds are considered to be of utmost importance; thus, schedules
are sacred and immense pressure is placed upon the citizens to see time as a
commodity. In a polychronic time system, there is not such an emphasis on
individual events; rather, many things are happening at once. Thus, the cycles of
community life take precedence over the divisions of the clock, and scheduling is
not so concrete. Relationships take precedence over being on time, as they are
viewed as what is really important. As most parts of the United States utilize a
monochronic system revered for its industrial efficiency and measured pace, I
want to investigate the connection between anxiety and our cultured experience
of time. I will gain first hand experience of a polychronic system this spring when
I study abroad in Bhutan, which will further inform the development of my
research.
As stated, particular social and economic trends will be studied for their
effects on the human mind, to the degree that those effects can be observed.
Highly influential social theorist and political economist David Harvey offers a
comprehensive look at the development of postmodernity said to be an era

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following modernity, or possibly a late phase within modernity itself. Harvey
describes this development and its effects on human beings in his book The
Condition of Postmodernity which examines, among other things, the
increasingly measured and compressed experience of time and space in
postmodernity. In addition to Harveys work, the seminal text All That is Solid
Melts into Air by American philosopher, political scientist and writer Marshall
Berman will offer a complementary view on the story of modernization in
Western society. Both of these texts will provide adequate context for a discussion
of how the development of modern or postmodern society has influenced the
emotional patterning of human beings.
An important consideration in my examination of sociocultural factors in
the occurrence of anxiety and depression is the idea of independent versus
interdependent self, as discussed in the work of psychologist Dr. Jeanne Tsai,
Associate Professor of psychology at Stanford University and director of the
Culture and Emotion Lab. Dr. Tsais research will be useful in its survey of social
and psychological differences between Asian cultures and Western cultures.
According to Goleman (2003), her research reveals, for example, that Westerners
tend to think of themselves during a social interaction, whereas people from
Asian cultures tend to think of the other person during that interaction. This is a
simple comparison of someone who feels a more independent sense of self,
versus someone who feels a more interdependent sense of self.
In his book The Reenchantment of the World, prominent cultural
historian and social critic Morris Berman explores how our modern
consciousness has been shaped by scientific modes of thought. Berman

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recognized that many people living in the late 20th century seemed to be
increasingly disillusioned and weighed down by anxiety and depression in
everyday life. He identifies a basic idea that he believes to lie at the core of this
struggle: the notion that the world is a knowable, measurable place that is
properly understood from the position of an observer. This notion is a significant
departure from the pre-Industrial, pre-modern cosmology in which humans saw
themselves as participants in the unfolding of the cosmos, inseparable from its
divine workings. Essentially, Berman, along with many other prominent thinkers
such as Joanna Macy and Charles Eisenstein, suggests that the reification of an
observer (self) and observed (other), an idea that propagated in the wake of the
writings of Rene Descartes and other writers, has contributed to a split in our
sense of self. Bermans ideas provide important considerations for how our
modern ontology affects our sense of self and our emotional patterning.
Other perspectives to be considered include that of author Joseph Chilton
Pearce in his writings on the psychological and sociological development of
children in American society; philosopher and poet Jean Gebser, for his writings
on structures of human consciousness (including the sense of self); and Charles
Eisenstein, for his writings on how the development of capitalism has contributed
to alienation, competition, and a scarcity mindset three things that facilitate
feelings of disconnectedness on an individual level.
On the topic of self and sense of self, Im looking into psychiatrist RD
Laings work in The Divided Self. Laing writes of how modern Western society
actually encourages a split in our sense of self by putting pressure on people to
conform to certain norms and expectations of what is sane and agreeable the

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result of which may be a split self, taking the form of an inauthentic normal
self and an authentic self lost somewhere deep within.
At this point, it seems that the majority of my time and effort in this
investigation will probably fall under the category of library research, although
other methods may be utilized. I can see myself doing some interviewing if, at
some point, I think I have enough context to speak to people about their
experiences. Questions in the interviews could invite them to talk about their
experience of a monochronic time system (or polychromic, if Im interviewing
someone who has lived in that kind of culture), their experience of anxiety,
depression, and what they feel are contributing factors around those emotional
states. The meditation piece of my research is undeveloped so far; I would be
interested to do some kind of group study, where participants engaged in a
meditation practice for a few weeks and answered questions based on their
experience. I think it depends on how deep the library research goes, and how
much time is available. I foresee myself delving into the sources gathered so far
over the next several months. I plan to begin writing my thesis in the fall of 2016.
I think, at that time I will have sufficient material to pull from (between my
library research, further contemplation, my own death and rebirth process, and
studying abroad in Bhutan), though I am open to the idea of doing different kinds
of research to complement the library process.
One meditation practice I would love to incorporate in my research is the
microcosmic orbit from the Daoist tradition. The roots of this practice are
traceable as far back as five thousand years ago in the writing of the I Ching. Da
Liu, president of the Tai Chi Chuan Society of New York, reveals that the

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character for the fifth hexagram in the I Ching contains a basic diagram and
instruction for this meditation. The meditators energy rises up from the
abdomen to the head on the inhale, and back down through the organs to the
abdomen on the exhale. Doing this practice is said to purify the body physically
and mentally, as well as improve ones health and longevity. I think it would be
interesting to study this practice in the context of anxiety and depression,
perhaps by doing a self-study.
I think this research is applicable and important to many, many people.
Anxiety and depression seem to be more and more prevalent in the United States,
based on both the data Ive encountered and conversations with people Ive met. I
think to some degree, everybody has experience with these feelings. My
inspiration for this research is to bring more awareness around anxiety and
depression by looking at how these emotions have become so prevalent. On the
basis of that information, people might be able to make changes to their lives to
help with those emotions. On a bigger scale, I think the biases we hold as a
culture or society against these emotional states are something to be challenged.
Its as if anxiety and depression are something bad and something to be avoided,
as opposed to something that deserves our understanding and care. And they
really, really do deserve that care. Recently, a friend of mine took his own life,
writing that he had been dead for a long time on a note left on his door. If even
an ounce of what I find out through my research is able to help someone in such a
position, let alone countless others who feel something similar to varying degrees,
then thats meaningful to me. It seems to me that complications of anxiety and
depression are greatly preventable. But instead of educating people in such a way

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that theyre trained to understand and be able to work with their emotions, our
society instead gives people a lot of reasons to be anxious and depressed, and a
temporary solution in the form of a pill.

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References
Berman, Morris. The Reenchantment of the World. N.p.: Cornell UP, 1981. Print.
Chodron, Pema. Tonglen: The Path of Transformation. Halifax: Vajradhatu
Publications, 2001. Print.
Davison, Gerald C., and John M. Neale. Abnormal Psychology. New York: John
Wiley, 2001. Print.
Davidson, R., & Begley, S. (2012). The emotional life of your brain: How its
unique patterns affect the way you think, feel, and live--and how you can
change them. New York: Hudson Street Press.
Frawley, David. Vedantic Meditation: Lighting the Flame of Awareness.
Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic, 2000. Print.
Goleman, D. (2003). Destructive emotions: How can we overcome them? : A
scientific dialogue with the Dalai Lama. New York: Bantam Books.
Hall, Edward T. Beyond Culture. Garden City, NY: Anchor, 1976. Print.
Harvey, D. (1990). The condition of postmodernity: An enquiry into the origins
of cultural change. Oxford [England: Blackwell.
Kessler RC, Chiu WT, Demler O, Walters EE. Prevalence, severity, and
comorbidity of twelve-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity
Survey Replication (NCS-R). Archives of General Psychiatry, 2005
Jun;62(6):617-27.
Pearce, J. (1977). Magical child: Rediscovering nature's plan for our children.
New York: Dutton.