WPL-01E: Beyond I-Thou and I-It – Introduction to the I-Usted Relationship (Ich-Sie/Ich-Er/Yo-Usted) (V4.1)

The cover page of this WPL version contains errors. Correct version: 4.1 from 2026-09-18 This document introduces an extension of Martin Buber's dialogical categories by a third category: the I-Usted relationship (German Ich-Sie/Ich-Er, Spanish Yo-Usted, Russian Я-Устед, Turkish Ben-Usted). It denotes the respectful acknowledgment of a counterpart who refuses encounter—not out of freedom, but out of structural incapacity. The work demonstrates that Buber's dichotomy of I-Thou and I-It is insufficient for accompanying individuals with structural dissociation Type 2. The I-Usted relationship is philosophically grounded (Buber, Levinas, Jonas, Kierkegaard) and clinically applied (Lighthouse Strategy). The document discusses the universal validity of the category for dementia, coma, severe intellectual disability, and end-of-life care. It reflects on the ethical implications of the attitude and its linguistic translatability into various cultural contexts. The document concludes with a systematic application of the limitations to the six theses of the work. The explanations apply to both models (Type 2α and Type 2β), unless otherwise noted. Document Language Title (in the respective language) Deep Link WPL-01D 🇩🇪 German Jenseits von Ich-Du und Ich-Es – Einführung in die Ich-Sie/Ich-Er/Yo-Usted-Beziehung https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22861011 WPL-01L 🇪🇸 Spanish (Latin America) Más allá del Yo-Tú y el Yo-Ello – Introducción a la relación Yo-Usted https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22839196 WPL-01R 🇷🇺 Russian По ту сторону Я-Ты и Я-Оно – Введение в отношения Я-Устед https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22846624 WPL-01T 🇹🇷 Turkish Ben-Sen ve Ben-O'nun Ötesinde – Ben-Usted İlişkisine Giriş https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22847550 WPL-01E 🇺🇸 English (US) Beyond I-Thou and I-It – Introduction to the I-Usted Relationship https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22851450 keywords: | Structural Dissociation, Type 2, dialogical philosophy, I-Thou, I-It, I-Usted, I-Usted relationship, Ich-Er, Ich-Sie, Yo-Usted, voice of the captive, recognition without reciprocity, encounter without reciprocity, respect without reciprocity, dignity of the fragmented self, asymmetrical responsibility, infinite responsibility, care without reciprocity, faithfulness without answer, last witness, face of the Other, third dialogical category, philosophy of dialogue, basic word, distance marker, respectful distance, Martin Buber, Emmanuel Levinas, Hans Jonas, Søren Kierkegaard, Lighthouse Strategy, demand-free presence, Yenifer, Yenny, WA Corpus, WPL-01