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Pupil: - There's a
danger in doing maths.
Nimier: - What is this
danger?
P: - The danger is
that I am afraid, I got used to that. It is some
sort of a state I am in, which has lasted for
years, I feel confident in French and foreign
languages, and I am not sure of myself at all.... I
live in an insecure atmosphere in maths; so I can't
get used to the idea of changing
situations.
N: - What risk would you
be running then?
P: - Yeah,
I'm afraid of losing,
it seems stupid, but
I'm afraid of losing something or....
I think it's stupid.
I think now there is some sort of
balance, it's a bit like the principle
of communicating vessels.
N: - You are afraid, if
you got better at maths, you might lose something
in the other subjects...
P: - Yeah,
and it isn't possible to lose
something just like that....
but that's the way I always
feel, so... I've told myself
again and again that it is stupid,
and still...
N: - Is this why you
don't feel like improving?
P: - Yeah, that's why,
it seems stupid, but I say to myself....you'd
better not get better at maths. And it's been that
way for years, there is always this refusal.... so
it's sort of a vicious circle, because the worse my
marks got in maths, the better they got in French
and foreign languages. You can see that on my
reports, for sure.
|
There is a fantasy projected on
mathematics, which is expressed through
this methaphor
of communicating vessels. But there is
more, since a mimicking of the fantasy
itself can also be found in the boy's
speech. This mimicking continuously aims
at keeping a balance between the
cognitive
and the emotional aspects,
while at the same time, through this very
process, creating a link between them by
allowing them to continuously interact
without either of them ever getting the
upper hand (which would probably make the
speaker feel in danger).
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EMOTIONAL
ASPECT
|
COGNITIVE
ASPECT
|
|
1) I'm afraid of
losing....
3) but I'm afraid of
losing...
5) I think now there is
some sort of balance
7)
but that's the way I
always feel
9) and
still...
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2) it seems a bit
stupid...
4) I think it's
stupid
6) and it isn't possible
to lose something
8) I've told myself
again and again that it is
stupid
|
|
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