Human scale development through a Consciousness-In-Action lens : educating for ethically responsive action
(Book - Regular Print)

ProQuest Number: 3718782.

Advisor: Raúl Quiñones-Rosado.

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sustainability Education from Prescott College.

Dissertation (Ph. D.),Prescott College,2015.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 143-159)

"Scholars agree that our fundamental human needs have changed very little over the millennia though the manner we choose to satisfy the needs within a contemporary Western culture has changed significantly. Mounting evidence suggests the choices we make in managing our Earth household (Oikonómos) affect our balance and well-being. Conversely, the quality of balance and well-being within our personal and societal realms affects how we choose to satisfy our needs. The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) recognized the inherent dignity of equal and inalienable rights of all humans as the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace. However, the paradigms of power and oppression still hinder access for many individuals and communities. Educational initiatives that promote balance, harmony, and well-being can nurture liberatory opportunities for integral development. Critical consciousness is a prerequisite for nurturing higher-level integral development increasing our capability to respond ethically to harmful internal and external influences. Development of our critical consciousness can help us perceive, recognize, and understand why and how our fundamental human needs are, or could be, satisfied. Satisfying fundamental human needs that reaffirm the struggle for harmony and balance could increase the level of well-being in our lives. Situating a community focus group in a hybrid Participatory Action Research methodology, the research interweaves Dr. Max-Neef's Human Scale Development with Dr. Quiñones-Rosado's Consciousness-In-Action to animate the taxonomy of human needs/satisfiers with the very real and harmful roles internalization of oppression have played in our ability to seek balance and harmony within the interrelated spheres of human activity. The results of a pre and post questionnaire are heuristically analyzed for changes that indicate a growing awareness to develop critical consciousness for ethically responsive actions that directly affect our quality of life and well-being."--leaves v-vi.