Discomfort, Doubt, and the Edge of Learning

Abstract

Discomfort is a constant presence in the practice of medicine and an oft-ignored feature of medical education. Nonetheless, if approached with thoughtfulness, patience, and understanding, discomfort may play a critical role in the education of physicians who practice with excellence, compassion, and justice. Taking Plato's notion of aporia - a moment of discomfort, perplexity, or impasse - as a starting point, the author follows the meandering path of aporia through Western philosophy and educational theory to argue for the importance of discomfort in opening up and orienting perspectives toward just and humanistic practice. Practical applications of this approach include problem-posing questions (from the work of Brazilian education theorist Paulo Freire), exercises to "make strange" beliefs and assumptions that are taken for granted, and the use of stories - especially stories without endings - all of which may prompt reflection and dialogical exchange. Framing this type of teaching and learning in Russian psychologist L.S. Vygotsky's theories of development, the author proposes that mentorship and dialogical interactions may help learners to navigate through moments of discomfort and uncertainty and extend the edge of learning. This approach may give birth to a zone of proximal development that is enriched with explorations of self, others, and the world.