What is a 'we' a collective and how can we use such communal self-knowledge to help people? This book is about collectivity, participation, and subjectivity and about the social theories that may help us understand these matters. It also seeks to learn from the innovative practices and ideas of a community of social/youth workers in Copenhagen between 1987 and 2003, who developed a pedagogy through creating collectives and mobilizing young people as participants. The theoretical and practical traditions are combined in a unique methodology viewing research as a contentious modeling of prototypical practices. Through this dialogue, it develops an original trans-disciplinary critical theory and practice of collective subjectivity for which the ongoing construction and overcoming of common sense, or ideology, is central. It also points to ways of relating discourse with agency, and fertilizing insights from interactionism and ideology theories in a cultural-historical framework.

Demonstrating that public health and prevention program development is as much art as science, this book brings together expert program developers to offer practical guidance and principles in developing effective behavior-change curricula. Feinberg and the team of experienced contributors cover evidence-based programs addressing a range of physical, mental, and behavioral health problems, including ones targeting families, specific populations, and developmental stages. The contributors describe their own professional journeys and decisions in creating, refining, testing, and disseminating a range of programs and strategies. Readers will learn about selecting change-promoting targets based on existing research; developing and creating effective and engaging content; considering implementation and dissemination contexts in the development process; and revising, refining, expanding, abbreviating, and adapting a curriculum across multiple iterations. Designing Evidence-Based Public Health and Prevention Programs is essential reading for prevention scientists, prevention practitioners, and program developers in community agencies. It also provides a unique resource for graduate students and postgraduates in family sciences, developmental psychology, clinical psychology, social work, education, nursing, public health, and counselling.

The Maternal Experience explores the powerful and dynamic nature of maternal ambivalence and disrupts the conventional narrative of the mother's lived experience by arguing that encounters with feelings of hatred are both universal and have the capacity to stimulate and enrich her maternal love. The book draws on the author's personal mothering experiences, those of other women, and examples from film to inspire new introspection about the everyday maternal experience. Lowy takes a psychosocial approach to weave thinking from selected psychoanalytic and contemporary accounts together with personal stories to explore how maternal ambivalence operates, and how mothering is sourced in psychic struggles between loving and hating feelings in an atmosphere that is rife with social and personal expectations and prohibitions. By reworking the experience of maternal ambivalence, the book secures an understanding of the mother's feelings of hatred as a catalyst for her love and allows these maligned and taboo emotions to be named and reframed into acceptable and transformative feelings. Brought alive by examples from film and first-hand experience, this book is fascinating reading for academics and students of psychology, maternal and women's studies, and sociology, as well as practitioners in the fields of psychology, social work, medicine and counselling.

Thisvolume explores the evolving and complex memorial consequences of state-sponsored violence inpost-dictatorial Argentina. Specifically, it looks at the power and significance of personal emotions and affects in shaping memorial culture. This volumecontends that we need to look beyond political and ideological contestations to a deeper level of how memorial cultures are formed and sustained. It argues that we cannot account for the politics of memory in modern-day Argentina without acknowledging and exploring the role played by individual emotions and affects in generating and shaping collective emotions and affects. Drawing from direct testimony from Argentinian women who have experienced political and physical violence, the research in this volume aims at understanding how their memories may be a different source of insight into the deep animosities within and between Argentine memorial cultures.

In direct contrast to the nominally objective and universalist sensibility that traditionally has driven transitional justice endeavours, this volume examineshow affective memories of trauma are a potentially disruptive power within the reconciliation paradigm and thus affect should be taken into account when considering transitional justice.Accordingly, Cultures of Remembrance for Women in Post-Dictatorial Argentina is an excellent resource for those interested in human rights, transitional justice, clinical psychology and social work, and Latin American conflicts.

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Picking up where The Tipping Point leaves off, respected journalist Lee Daniel Kravetz's Strange Contagion is a provocative look at both the science and lived experience of social contagion. In 2009, tragedy struck the town of Palo Alto: A student from the local high school had died by suicide by stepping in front of an oncoming train. Grief-stricken, the community mourned what they thought was an isolated loss. Until, a few weeks later, it happened again. And again. And again. In six months, the high school lost five students to suicide at those train tracks. A recent transplant to the community and a new father himself, Lee Daniel Kravetz's experience as a science journalist kicked in: what was causing this tragedy? More important, how was it possible that a suicide cluster could develop in a community of concerned, aware, hyper-vigilant adults? The answer? Social contagion. We all know that ideas, emotions, and actions are communicable-from mirroring someone's posture to mimicking their speech patterns, we are all driven by unconscious motivations triggered by our environment. But when just the right physiological, psychological, and social factors come together, we get what Kravetz calls a "strange contagion:" a perfect storm of highly common social viruses that, combined, form a highly volatile condition. Strange Contagion is simultaneously a moving account of one community's tragedy and a rigorous investigation of social phenomenon, as Kravetz draws on research and insights from experts worldwide to unlock the mystery of how ideas spread, why they take hold, and offer thoughts on our responsibility to one another as citizens of a globally and perpetually connected world.

This book proposes that romantic relationships-filtered through various socio-cultural sieves-can lead to the development of affective kin bonds, which underlie our sense of personhood and belonging. Sirisena argues that the process resembles an attempt to make strangers into kin, and that sort of affective relating is a form of self-conscious relationality, in which the inhabitants reflect on their individual and collective needs, as well as their expectations and dreams in the future of their relationships. University students' romantic relationships, which they gloss as 'serious,' appear to be processual and non-linear, and are considered to be stabilising forces which are pitched against the inherent uncertainty in young people's lives.

This ground-breaking work is a detailed account of an innovative and in-depth study of the attitudes of in excess of 500 Japanese learners towards a number of standard and non-standard as well as native and non-native varieties of English speech. The research conducted refines the investigation of learner attitudes by employing a range of pioneering techniques of attitude measurement. These methods are largely incorporated from the strong traditions that exist in the fields of social psychology and second language acquisition and utilize both direct and indirect techniques of attitude measurement. The author locates the findings in the context of the wealth of literature on native speaker evaluations of languages and language varieties. The study is unique in that the results provide clear evidence of both attitude change and high levels of linguistic awareness among the informants of social and geographical diversity within the English language. These findings are analyzed in detail in relation to the global spread of English as well as in terms of the pedagogical implications for the choice of linguistic model employed in English language classrooms both inside and outside Japan. The issues examined are of particular interest to educators, researchers and students in the fields of applied linguistics, TESOL, second language acquisition, social psychology of language and sociolinguistics. The pedagogical and language policy implications of the findings obtained make essential reading for those with a specific focus on the role of the English language and English language teaching, both in Japan and beyond.

A timely and important book that challenges everything we think we know about cultivating true belonging in our communities, organizations, and culture, from the #1 bestselling author of Rising Strong, Daring Greatly, and The Gifts of Imperfection.

“True belonging doesn’t require us to change who we are. It requires us to be who we are.” Social scientist Brené Brown, PhD, MSW, has sparked a global conversation about the experiences that bring meaning to our lives—experiences of courage, vulnerability, love, belonging, shame, and empathy. In Braving the Wilderness, Brown redefines what it means to truly belong in an age of increased polarization. With her trademark mix of research, storytelling, and honesty, Brown will again change the cultural conversation while mapping a clear path to true belonging.

Brown argues that we’re experiencing a spiritual crisis of disconnection, and introduces four practices of true belonging that challenge everything we believe about ourselves and each other. She writes, “True belonging requires us to believe in and belong to ourselves so fully that we can find sacredness both in being a part of something and in standing alone when necessary. But in a culture that’s rife with perfectionism and pleasing, and with the erosion of civility, it’s easy to stay quiet, hide in our ideological bunkers, or fit in rather than show up as our true selves and brave the wilderness of uncertainty and criticism.

But true belonging is not something we negotiate or accomplish with others; it’s a daily practice that demands integrity and authenticity. It’s a personal commitment that we carry in our hearts.” Brown offers us the clarity and courage we need to find our way back to ourselves and to each other. And that path cuts right through the wilderness.

This book is about ethnic diversity in voluntary organizations and seeks to explain whether intergroup contact contributes to the development of generalized trust. It relies on a novel multilevel design and data from Amsterdam in which 40 voluntary organizations and 463 participants have been sampled. Contrary to conventional wisdom, this book argues that cognitive processes are contributing more toward the evaluation of strangers or generalized trust than interethnic contact. Since trusting unknown people is essentially a risky endeavor, this suggests that participants of both association types who report trusting strangers can afford to do so, because they are better educated, have a more positive worldview, and have had fewer negative life experiences. That is to say, they are socially more successful and view their future as more promising. Previous findings are inconclusive since most studies that conclude diversity has led to less generalized trust do not include interethnic contact directly in their analyses. These studies also downplay the importance of cognitive processes, which may shape generalized trust. What is more, people join ethnically diverse civic groups, because they already have more trustful attitudes, rather than learning to trust through interethnic contact. Despite the recent multiculturalist backlash, this book demonstrates that participation in ethno-national organizations does not pose a threat to social cohesion. The analysis in this book serves to build a general theory of trust that moves beyond emphasizing interaction between people who are different from each other, but one that includes the importance of cognition.

Psychological and medical perspectives on sadomasochism have historically been concerned with understanding it as a form of psychopathology. In the past (but still often today) studies of S/M have been concerned with extreme and most often non-consensual acts. However, more recently there has been growing interest in exploring the meaning of S/M in non-pathological ways. This book directly addresses this development, presenting some of the most recent cutting edge work on S/M by leading international scholars who all seek to understand rather than pathologise. This includes the latest thinking on theory and practice, academic-community pieces, as well as the presentation of new empirical findings across the range of identities and practices that constitute S/M.

Incorporating the latest research and clinical work in family dynamics, this book examines multiple angles of integrating sibling issues, which underlie issues at the core of many clinical difficulties presented by adult clients, in therapy to improve adulthood emotional and psychological well-being.

Using innovative empirical data, this book presents a unique approach to looking at moments, exploring the deeper meanings of why memories stand out and how they influence an individual's sense of self. Forrest challenges the privileged position of narrative coherence as the basis for healthy identity and formations of selfhood.

This book presents an integrated review and critical analysis of the recent research in the positive psychology of religion, with focus on the positive psychology of religion across different cultures and religions. The book provides a review of the literature on different contributions of religion and spirituality to positive functioning and well-being and reviews religions across the world, including the five major religions of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism and Hinduism. In addition, the book reviews commonalities and differences in the ways in which different religions contribute to positive functioning, as well as differences in which different religions manifest their positive contributions in minority groups across the world.

It fills a unique place in the market s increasing interest and demand in the psychology of religion, as well as positive psychology. While the target audience is researchers, scholars and students in psychology, cross-cultural studies, religious studies and social sciences, it will be useful for anyone interested in better understanding the contributions of religion and culture in subjective well-being. "

The Fullerton Longitudinal Study, launched in 1979, chronicled the development of over 100 children and their families from the children's first birthday through their high school completion using a cross-informant/cross-context methodology. In this volume, the developmental course and sequelae of children's temperament from age 1.5 years through high school completion are documented. It is an important resource for developmental researchers, clinicians, educators, and students.

Focusing on theory and therapeutic factors and applications, this work will provide group leaders and counselors working with children with a conceptual basis and specific strategies for use in therapy, counseling, and therapeutic groups. It proposes that groups be formed around themes of condition (such as loss), rather than themes of circumstance (such as divorce). Forming the group, leader characteristics, and the expression of feelings and emotions are emphasized by the author. This work will be of interest to all mental health professionals working with children--school counselors, social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists.

Relational competence-the set of traits that allow people to interact with each other effectively-enjoys a long history of being recorded, studied, and analyzed. Accordingly, Relational Competence Theory (RCT) complements theories that treat individuals' personality and functioning individually by placing the individual into full family and social context. The ambitious volume Relational Competence Theory: Research and Mental Health Applications opens out the RCT literature with emphasis on its applicability to interventions, and updates the state of research on RCT, examining what is robust and verifiable both in the lab and the clinic. The authors begin with the conceptual and empirical bases for the theory, and sixteen models demonstrate the range of RCT concerns and their clinical relevance, including: - Socialization settings for relational competence. - The ability to control and regulate the self. - Relationship styles. - Intimacy and negotiation. - The use of practice exercises in prevention and treatment of pathology. - Appendices featuring the Relational Answers Questionnaire and other helpful tools. Relational Competence Theory both challenges and confirms much of what we know about the range of human relationships, and is important reading for researchers, scholars, and students in personality and social psychology, psychotherapy, and couple and family counseling.

This book showcases a selection of current work and debates on weight and body management practices that are being produced from the vibrant arena of critical and postmodern approaches in the social sciences. Weight issues have become central to Western understandings of health and identity, but analyses of weight and body management have often failed to contextualise weight related issues. This timely book addresses this gap by examining three key areas, namely, representation, identities, and practice, to explore and interrogate how body and weight management, subjectivities, experiences, and practices are constituted within and by the normative discourses of contemporary western culture.

With applications throughout the social sciences, culture and psychology is a rapidly growing field that has experienced a surge in publications over the last decade. From this proliferation of books, chapters, and journal articles, exciting developments have emerged in the relationship of culture to cognitive processes, human development, psychopathology, social behavior, organizational behavior, neuroscience, language, marketing, and other topics. In recognition of this exponential growth, Advances in Culture and Psychology is the first annual series to offer state-of-the-art reviews of scholarly research in the growing field of culture and psychology.
The Advances in Culture and Psychology series is:
* Developing an intellectual home for culture and psychology research programs
* Fostering bridges and connections among cultural scholars from across the discipline
* Creating a premier outlet for culture and psychology research
* Publishing articles that reflect the theoretical, methodological, and epistemological diversity in the study of culture and psychology
* Enhancing the collective identity of the culture and psychology field
Comprising chapters from internationally renowned culture scholars and representing diversity in the theory and study of culture within psychology, Advances in Culture and Psychology is an ideal resource for research programs and academics throughout the psychology community.

Jerome Braun, known for his writings in interdisciplinary social science, an approach he calls pragmatic critical theory, here provides a book that discusses issues relevant to the moral underpinnings of democratic society, including issues of social evolution and of culture and personality. This book returns critical theory to its roots in both psychology and the social sciences. It shows some of the relationships between equality in a political and social sense and personal identity that either relates well to such equality, or rebels against it. All this reflects processes of social and cultural influence that involve not only random change but also processes of social and cultural evolution that themselves have effects regarding potentials for self-fulfillment and even public morality. This book provides a framework to help one study the interaction between individual aspirations and social opportunities.

This book will be of particular interest to scholars and students of Psychology (particularly in the areas of Psychology of Personality and Cultural Psychology), Sociology (especially those interested in Sociology of Alienation and Sociology of Culture, as well as Sociology of Mental Health), Anthropology (particularly in the area of Psychological Anthropology), Cultural Studies, and Social Theory in general.

Just as DNA determines the genetic makeup of every individual, a motif determines individual bio-psycho-social, emotional, and spiritual behaviors and attitudes. This epigenetic theory of individuality describes the motif as a unique artistry of organizing principles. The author uses the concept of motif to explain physiology, behavior, and attitude and to show how each person has his or her own unique system of motifs that comprises the fabric of every level of personality. Case studies exemplify the way in which motifs manifest the self and how the core personality is understood once the individual's motif is revealed.

Of interest to graduate students in psychology and clinicians and counselors in the field of humanistic and clinical psychology, holistic medicine, wellness and mind-body healing, psycho-biology, and spirituality this book will bring new understanding to personality and behavior studies.

This book explores the differences between Western and non-Western cultures to provide a more comprehensive understanding of psychological contract and its consequences on employees' behavioral, attitudinal, and cognitive outcomes. Further, it discusses the culturally-relevant elements of HR practices that affect employee expectations, job satisfaction, commitment, and motivation based on their perceptions of the level of fulfilment of their psychological contract. Integrating both qualitative and quantitative methods, it is the first book to examine the current state of the South Asian workforce and will advance research on industrial relations, employee relationship management, and corporate management of South Asian employees around the world.

Organizational socialization is the process by which a new employee learns to adapt to an organizational culture. This crucial early period has been shown to have an influence on eventual job satisfaction, commitment, innovation, and cooperation, and ultimately the performance of the organization. After decades of research on organizational socialization, much is now known about this important process. However, some confusion still exists regarding what it means to be socialized.
The Oxford Handbook of Organizational Socialization brings comprehensive reviews of the scholarly literature together with perspectives on what is being done in organizations to integrate and support new employees. The first section introduces the principles and practice of employee socialization and provides a history of the field, and the second section focuses on outcomes and antecedents of socialization. The third section on organizational context, systems, and tactics covers an extensive number of topics, including diversity, person-organization fit, and social networks, and special contexts such as socialization into higher-level jobs, and expatriation. The fourth section reviews process, methods, and measurement. The fifth section goes "beyond the organizational newcomer" to examine socialization in special contexts. The sixth section expands on practice-related issues and walks the reader through two case studies, one in an academic setting and another in a corporate setting. The final chapters provide a "best practices" approach, based on the highest quality research, summarize the state of the field, and offer an agenda for future research as well as suggestions for potential research-practice partnerships.
Unique and thorough in its approach, The Oxford Handbook of Organizational Socialization is a useful single source of information across the range of research relevant to organizational socialization.