An exploration of consciousness, what it is, whether it's necessary, and how personal it is to each of us

Madhavi Kapur, head of the Rewachand Bhojwani Academy, explains why many schools in Asia find students benefit from a little breathing space.

What is self and how do we study its development? 

Do you have a fixed character? Or do you play many roles based on the situation? Stephen Fry explains Erving Goffman's theory of the Performed Self. 

How did Romantic writers address questions of identity? How did their experiences influence the way they expressed themselves? The Romantic period saw a rise in creative, artistic and intellectual pursuits in eighteenth century Europe. The era placed greater emphasis on emotion and intuition as opposed to the scientific rationalisation which had gained prominence during ‘The Age of Enlightenment’. In this audio selection, a panel of experts evaluate various elements of this movement and asses themes such as authorship, the idea of self in addition to the extent to which their work was affected by its historical context.

This material forms part of The Open University course A230 Reading and studying literature.

Richard Wilson is best known for playing Victor Meldrew in "One Foot in the Grave". For many, Richard is Victor, to others he’s a life long friend they’ve just never met. He has a recognisable face that many people find hard to forget, but why? Ever Wondered sent him out to discover the reasons why we look the way we do