Due to its theoretical and educational significance within the language learning process, the study of L2 motivation has been an important area of second language acquisition research for several decades. Over the last few years L2 motivation research has taken an exciting new turn by focusing increasingly on the language learner's situated identity and various self-perceptions. As a result, the concept of L2 motivation is currently in the process of being radically reconceptualised and re-theorised in the context of contemporary notions of self and identity. With contributions by leading European, North American and Asian scholars, this volume brings together the first comprehensive anthology of key conceptual and empirical papers that mark this important paradigmatic shift.

Demystifying Meaningful Coincidences (Synchronicities): The Evolving Self, the Personal Unconscious, and the Creative Process offers an original theory of the nature of meaningful coincidences (synchronicities) and their practical use from a naturalistic (nonsupernatural and non-Jungian) perspective. The findings are the outgrowth of Gibbs A. Williams's forty-year investigation, both as a professional observer of some of his synchronicity prone patients receiving psychoanalytic psychotherapy as well as of his own intimate experience of these intellectually challenging and emotionally powerful occurrences. His naturalistic perspective is in marked contrast to the findings of Jung and his followers, who view these odd events as "channeled" messages from a transcendent realm of spiritual reality. Instead, Williams concludes that meaningful coincidences are the surface manifestations of an individual's unique creative process, accommodating the "best" available resolution of a problem for a person initially feeling "stuck" in a seemingly intractable dilemma. While his analysis robs the magic associated with only reacting to the "numinous uncanny aura" associated with synchronicities, it nevertheless affirms a wondrous appreciation for the creative capacities of each person to order his or her own chaos. Readers are treated to a rich mine of historical data, novel concepts, and theoretical insights drawn from speculative philosophy, depth psychology, and esoteric occult and spiritual traditions, and they are shown how to decode their own synchronicities in order to be able to use their embedded "messages" for increased self-awareness, cohesiveness, and expanding consciousness.

The Many Faces of Polyamory: Longing and Belonging in Concurrent Relationships provides new perspectives on polyamory and the longing to belong in the relatively uncharted territory of nonnormative relationships. This volume offers a valuable and compelling account on how to approach polyamorous relationships from the clinical perspective. While there is no uniform answer, Dr. Fosse's compassionate and discerning approach that combines relative neutrality, an open-minded embrace of nontraditional lifestyle choices, and skilful attention to countertransference dynamics is likely to be inspiring. Dr. Fosse exposes the dynamics of love, sex, jealousy, and compersion as they play out in lives of those interested in polyamory, and more broadly, consensual nonmonogamy. Her focus is on relationships worth having. With its nuanced clinical focus, The Many Faces of Polyamory will be an essential resource for psychotherapists, educators, students, and anyone inside and outside of the mental health field drawn to the intricacies of sexuality, intimacy, and how they are intertwined with relational satisfaction

Who are we? Where is the boundary between us and everything else? Are we all multiple personalities? And how can we control who we become? From distinguished psychologist Robert Levine comes this provocative and entertaining scientific exploration of the most personal and important of all landscapes: the physical and psychological entity we call our self. Using a combination of case studies and cutting-edge research in psychology, biology, neuroscience, virtual reality and many other fields, Levine challenges cherished beliefs about the unity and stability of the self - but also suggests that we are more capable of change than we know. Transformation, Levine shows, is the human condition at virtually every level. Physically, our cells are unrecognizable from one moment to the next. Cognitively, our self-perceptions are equally changeable: A single glitch can make us lose track of a body part or our entire body, or to confuse our very self with that of another person. Psychologically, we switch back and forth like quicksilver between incongruent, sometimes adversarial sub-selves. Socially, we appear to be little more than an ever-changing troupe of actors. And, culturally, the boundaries of the self vary wildly around the world - from the confines of one's body to an entire village. The self, in short, is a fiction: vague, arbitrary, and utterly intangible. But it is also interminably fluid. And this unleashes a world of potential. Engaging, informative, and ultimately liberating, Stranger in the Mirror will change forever how you think about your self - and what you might become.

"Personality" is an intimidatingly complex area of human behaviour, where empirically valid generalizations are not easily established or formulated, and where investigators at the time of publication were themselves a long way from the development of a commonly shared language and conceptual system. Originally published in 1969, Dr Carson's book provided, for the first time, an empirically grounded, systematic framework to analyse, describe, and to some extent explain the transactions that occur between people from a standpoint of a personologist. The author starts from a Sullivanian base, which views "personality" as a largely interpersonal phenomenon. He then reformulates Sullivanian conceptions into a more complete framework, one more firmly tied to observable events or empirically testable hypotheses. This work represents a unique effort to integrate, from available empirical findings and conceptual formulations within psychology and the social sciences, a comprehensive account of socially significant personal conduct. It brings together, within an integrating framework, diverse trends from modern behaviour theory, personality, social psychology, and behaviour disorder.

Originally published in 1987, the purpose of this title was to develop a conceptual framework for understanding individual humans as complex, functional entities. It was felt that a sound developmental theory of human personality and behaviour would help synthesize existing scientific and clinical information into a coherent representation of a person as a functional unit, guide future research, and facilitate the work of the health and human services professions. The volume is aimed at a multidisciplinary-multiprofessional audience.

Originally published in 1950, the need for a small standard text on basic principles of personality structure and development had been very apparent to teachers of psychology for some time. There were many books illustrating specialized or applied aspects of the psychology of personality - such as abnormal psychology, educational psychology, child psychology, mental measurement, vocational guidance, etc. - but lacking was a treatment of personality study as pure psychology, concentrating on the fundamentals. The aim of this title was therefore to bring the general problems of personality description and development, normal and abnormal, into a single perspective and to integrate the principle fields of observation in clear cut generalizations.

For over thirty years G. N. M. Tyrrell devoted himself to the study of psychical phenomena. Originally published in 1954, in his last book, written just before his death, he probes as deeply as possible into the meaning of the results of psychical research. He believes that paranormal phenomena are not isolated occurrences due to the exceptional gifts of a few unusual persons but the result of capacities which all human beings possess, though in widely varying degrees. After an introductory chapter on Psychology and Psychiatry, the chief psychical phenomena - extra-sensory perception, mediumship, apparitions, etc. - are discussed and illustrated. Then follows a general criticism of current attitudes towards the subject. The book ends with two chapters arguing that the normal and paranormal are one and suggesting a pathway to religion.

The figure of the Other is an important though underutilized vehicle for exploring and reconceptualizing classic psychological and philosophical issues, from identity and purpose to human frailty and suffering. Moreover, it can be used to reorient inquiry toward aspects of the human condition that are often regarded as secondary or peripheral-for instance, our responsibility to others and to the environment. A broad spectrum of disciplines including psychology, philosophy, theology, and religious studies speak about the challenges we face in encountering the Other vis-a-vis our receptivity, openness, and capacity to entertain the stranger in our midst. Through constructive critical exchange, Psychology and the Other engages such perspectives on the Other from various subdisciplines within psychology and related disciplines. The volume uses the language of the Other as a vehicle for rethinking aspects of psychological processes, especially within the therapeutic context. As a group, the contributors demonstrate that the language of the Other may be more fitting than the egocentric language frequently employed in psychology. They also embrace the challenge to create new theories and practices that are more ethically attuned to the dynamic realities of psychological functioning. The book is organized into three sections. The first deals with foundational philosophical concerns and provides an introduction to the project of "thinking Otherwise." The second section brings these fundamental philosophical concerns to bear on the therapeutic situation, especially in the realm of relational psychoanalysis. The final section of the book addresses concrete psychological situations in which the Other figures prominently and where the power of thinking Otherwise is most visibly demonstrated.

If contemporary culture were a school, with all the tasks and expectations meted out by modern life as its curriculum, would anyone graduate? In the spirit of a sympathetic teacher, Robert Kegan guides us through this tricky curriculum, assessing the fit between its complex demands and our mental capacities, and showing what happens when we find ourselves, as we so often do, in over our heads. In this dazzling intellectual tour, he completely reintroduces us to the psychological landscape of our private and public lives. A decade ago in The Evolving Self, Kegan presented a dynamic view of the development of human consciousness. Here he applies this widely acclaimed theory to the mental complexity of adulthood. As parents and partners, employees and bosses, citizens and leaders, we constantly confront a bewildering array of expectations, prescriptions, claims, and demands, as well as an equally confusing assortment of expert opinions that tell us what each of these roles entails. Surveying the disparate expert "literatures," which normally take no account of each other, Kegan brings them together to reveal, for the first time, what these many demands have in common. Our frequent frustration in trying to meet these complex and often conflicting claims results, he shows us, from a mismatch between the way we ordinarily know the world and the way we are unwittingly expected to understand it. In Over Our Heads provides us entirely fresh perspectives on a number of cultural controversies-the "abstinence vs. safe sex" debate, the diversity movement, communication across genders, the meaning of postmodernism. What emerges in these pages is a theory of evolving ways of knowing that allows us to view adult development much as we view child development, as an open-ended process born of the dynamic interaction of cultural demands and emerging mental capabilities. If our culture is to be a good "school," as Kegan suggests, it must offer, along with a challenging curriculum, the guidance and support that we clearly need to master this course-a need that this lucid and richly argued book begins to meet.

“Groundbreaking research . . . Women Who Think Too Much tells why overthinking occurs, why it hurts people, and how to stop.” —USA Today

It’s no surprise that our fast-paced, overly self-analytical culture is pushing many people—especially women—to spend countless hours thinking about negative ideas, feelings, and experiences. Renowned psychologist Dr. Susan Nolen-Hoeksema calls this overthinking, and her groundbreaking research shows that an increasing number of women—more than half of those in her extensive study—are doing it too much and too often, leading to sadness, anxiety, and depression. She challenges the assumption—heralded by so many pop-psychology pundits of the last several decades—that constantly expressing and analyzing our emotions is a good thing.

In Women Who Think Too Much, Nolen-Hoeksema shows us what causes so many women to be overthinkers and provides concrete strategies that can be used to escape these negative thoughts, move to higher ground, and live more productively. Women Who Think Too Much will change lives, and is destined to become a self-help classic.

This book brings together a diverse range of empirical chapters spanning various contexts and educational levels which explore the psychology of teaching and learning a subject through a second or other language. The chapters discuss both the psychological stressors and strains for learners and teachers, as well as the benefits and joys of being involved in such programmes. The studies encompass a range of areas, such as Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), Foreign Language Medium of Instruction (FMI), bilingual education and other related approaches to integrating content and language. They feature a variety of psychological constructs, including identity, self-confidence, motivation, self-concept, teacher and learner beliefs, affect, anxiety, stress, mindsets, attributions and well-being, from the perspectives of both teachers and learners. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in ensuring that teachers and students are properly supported and that their experiences of integrated content and language settings enable them to flourish.

This book examines the use of myth in contemporary popular and high culture, and proposes that the aporetic subject, the individual that 'does not know', is the ideal contemporary subject. Using several contemporary novels, films and theatrical plays that illustrate aporia - such as Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (Riordan, 2007), Tron Legacy (Koninski, 2010), Welcome to Thebes (Buffini, 2010), The Photographers (Koundouros, 1998), Prometheus (2012) and Prometheus Retrogressing (Sfikas, 1998) - Angie Voela introduces common ground between Lacanian psychoanalysis and some of Freud's most ardent critics, Michel Foucault and Jean Baudrillard, as well as the cultural philosopher Bernard Stiegler. These unprecedented systematic comparisons broaden the scope and impact of Lacanian psychoanalysis in inter-disciplinary debates of philosophy and culture and Voela argues that apart from dealing with the past, psychoanalysis must also deal more explicitly with the present and the future. She presents a unique inquiry into modern subjectivity that will be of great interest to scholars of psychoanalysis, philosophy, film, literature and contemporary culture.

"...how a man rallies to life's challenges and weathers its storms tells everything of who he is and all that he is likely to become." —St. Augustine

It has long been understood that how a person adjusts to life stresses is a major component of his or her ability to lead a fulfilling life. Yet it wasn't until the 1960s that coping became a discrete topic of psychological inquiry. Since then, coping has risen to a position of prominence in the modern psychological discourse—especially within the personality, cognitive, and behavioral spheres—and, within the past decade alone, many important discoveries have been made about its mechanisms and functioning, and its role in ongoing psychological and physical health and well-being.

A book whose time has come at last, the Handbook of Coping is the first professional reference devoted exclusively to the psychology of coping. Reporting the observations and insights of nearly sixty leading authorities in stress and coping from a wide range of affiliations and schools of thought, it brings readers the state of the art in coping theory, research, assessment, and applications. In orchestrating the book, the editors have scrupulously avoided imposing any particular slant or point of view, other than the need to foster greater eclecticism and cooperation between researchers and clinicians concerned with the phenomenon of coping.

The Handbook of Coping is divided into five overlapping parts, the first of which serves to lay the conceptual foundations of all that follows. It traces the history of coping from its origins in psychoanalytic theories of unconscious defense mechanisms, and provides an exhaustive review of the latest conceptualizations, models, and constructs. The following section provides an in-depth exploration of current research methodology, measurement, and assessment tools. Part Three explores key facets of coping in a broad range of specific domains, including everyday hassles, chronic disease, cataclysmic events, and many others. The penultimate section focuses on individual differences. Among important topics covered here are coping styles and dispositions; the role of family, social support, and education; and coping behaviors across the life span. The final section, Part Five, is devoted to current applications. Clinical parameters are defined and a number of specific interventions are described, as are proven techniques for helping clients to improve their coping skills.

A comprehensive guide to contemporary coping theory, research, and applications, the Handbook of Coping is an indispensable resource for practitioners, researchers, students, and educators in psychology, the health sciences, and epidemiology.

Of related interest ...

EGO DEFENSES: Theory and Measurement —Edited by Hope R. Conte and Robert Plutchik

This book explores the nature and manifestations of defense mechanisms and traces ego defense theory and research from Freud's initial conceptualization through recent work in object-relations theory and other psychoanalytically oriented approaches. It provides clinical guidelines for diagnosing, assessing, and dealing with defenses, reviews empirical research techniques, and indicates their value in development and in psychotherapy. This volume should be of value to theoreticians, clinicians, and researchers interested in finding appropriate tools for measurement of defense mechanisms. 1994

SOCIAL SUPPORT: An Interactional View —Edited by Barbara R. Sarason, Irwin G. Sarason, and Gregory R. Pierce

The study of social support and its relationship to personality, health, and adjustment is one of the fastest growing areas of research and application in psychology. This book contains integrative surveys of clinical and field studies, experimental investigations, and life-span explorations. It approaches social support as an important facet of interpersonal relationships and shows its undesirable, as well as its positive, features. 1990 (0-471-60624-3) 528 pp.

This edited volume presents an analysis of the evolution of French language policies and their impact on French regional languages and their communities. It gathers studies on language revitalisation from several territorial minority languages (Breton, Alsatian, Catalan, Occitan, Basque, Corsican, Francoprovencal, Picard, Reunionese) and evaluates the challenges and opportunities that they face in the 21st century. The chapters tackle different aspects of language endangerment and language planning and adopt varied theoretical and methodological approaches. The first section of the book reconsiders the difficulties in establishing linguistic boundaries and classification for some regional languages. The second section examines the important theme of the new generation of speakers with issues of transmission and identity formation and the changes they can bring to traditional communities. The third section highlights new developments in the context of new technologies and the heightened visibility of regional languages. Finally, the last section presents an overview of the contemporary situation of minority language revitalisation in France and synthesises the key trends identified in this volume: from the educational domain to the European Charter for Minority and Regional languages. This book will appeal to students and scholars of the sociology of language, sociolinguistics, language policy, minority languages and language endangerment.

Originally published in 1986, this was a new and completely updated edition of the book which, since 1970 had introduced a whole generation in English psychology to Kelly's theory of personal constructs. By setting out a broadly designed and experimentally illustrated view of people as self-inventing explorers and interpreters of their world it challenged the 'mechanical man' of orthodox psychology. It proved a source of radically new ideas in psychotherapy, education and industry. This revised edition shows how the theory's professional applications have spread ever wider, while many have realised that personal construct psychology contains, for them, the core of a personal philosophy.

This book addresses the major problems of leadership in groups, organizations, and societies in the twenty-first century, when rapid change, complex dilemmas, and earth-shattering consequences affect the daily lives of people in the diverse contexts of social institutions, the corporate world, domestic politics, and international terrorism and conflict. The volume convenes a group of distinguished scholars, consultants, and leaders who address significant contemporary dilemmas that test the skills and knowledge of all concerned individuals. Benjamin Disraeli said, "I am their leader; therefore I must follow them." This book speaks directly to that intimate connection between leaders and followers. The organizing principle of the book is a 'group systems' understanding of leadership further elaborated through the relational and intersubjective concepts emerging in the fields of counseling, dynamic psychiatry, and psychotherapy. This interdisciplinary approach both complements and contrasts with the traditional understanding of leadership based on the dynamics of individual and collective self-interest.

This is a classic edition of Hugh Wagner's influential overview of the biopsychological underpinnings of human motivation. It includes a new foreword written by Michael Richter who reflects on Wagner's 20 years of teaching, writing and research in the field of biopsychology and promises an engaging, succinct and accessible introductory text that remains relevant and useful to students today. The Psychobiology of Human Motivation explores what directs our behaviour, from basic physiological needs like hunger and thirst to more complex aspects of social behaviour like altruism. Wagner explores the limits of biological explanations and shows how humans can influence 'basic' physiological drives in order to adapt to a complex social environment. An accessible, engaging resource strengthened by many applied examples, Wagner's text continues to be integral reading for undergraduate students seeking a solid introduction to the psychology of human motivation across the social and behavioural sciences.

This is a classic edition of Hugh Wagner's influential overview of the biopsychological underpinnings of human motivation. It includes a new foreword written by Michael Richter who reflects on Wagner's 20 years of teaching, writing and research in the field of biopsychology and promises an engaging, succinct and accessible introductory text that remains relevant and useful to students today. The Psychobiology of Human Motivation explores what directs our behaviour, from basic physiological needs like hunger and thirst to more complex aspects of social behaviour like altruism. Wagner explores the limits of biological explanations and shows how humans can influence 'basic' physiological drives in order to adapt to a complex social environment. An accessible, engaging resource strengthened by many applied examples, Wagner's text continues to be integral reading for undergraduate students seeking a solid introduction to the psychology of human motivation across the social and behavioural sciences.

The Many Faces of Polyamory: Longing and Belonging in Concurrent Relationships provides new perspectives on polyamory and the longing to belong in the relatively uncharted territory of nonnormative relationships. This volume offers a valuable and compelling account on how to approach polyamorous relationships from the clinical perspective. While there is no uniform answer, Dr. Fosse's compassionate and discerning approach that combines relative neutrality, an open-minded embrace of nontraditional lifestyle choices, and skilful attention to countertransference dynamics is likely to be inspiring. Dr. Fosse exposes the dynamics of love, sex, jealousy, and compersion as they play out in lives of those interested in polyamory, and more broadly, consensual nonmonogamy. Her focus is on relationships worth having. With its nuanced clinical focus, The Many Faces of Polyamory will be an essential resource for psychotherapists, educators, students, and anyone inside and outside of the mental health field drawn to the intricacies of sexuality, intimacy, and how they are intertwined with relational satisfaction

This book presents an overview of the work of the most important Psychology researchers in Brazil, contributing to the internationalization of the discipline and fostering cross-cultural approaches in the field. Over the last two decades, Psychology research has experienced an enormous growth in Brazil, which has placed the country among the ten nations with the highest scientific output in the area. A big part of this output, however, remains inaccessible to the majority of the international community because it's mainly published in Portuguese. This book intends to overcome this barrier, presenting a highly relevant sample of the best Psychology research produced in Brazil to those who are unable to read in Portuguese. In each chapter, a top Brazilian researcher is invited to present a summary of his/her main contributions to the field. The result is a rich overview of the main areas in which Brazilian psychologists have concentrated their work over the last decades, such as Developmental Psychology, Community Psychology, Educational and School Psychology, Evolutionary Psychology, Health Psychology, History of Psychology and Social Psychology. By putting together such a wide array of topics, Psychology in Brazil - Scientists Making a Difference offers a rich overview of the research in the country to psychologists, educators and social scientists in general interested in cross-cultural approaches within the Behavioral Sciences.

Psychologizing introduces students to the study of psychology by encouraging them to approach the subject on a personal level. Classroom-tested, the psychologizing model emphasizes learning through practice. A conversational and highly engaging narrative prompts students to begin thinking like psychologists as they examine key concepts, including learning, development, personality, and emotion. Based on the practice of phenomenology, Psychologizing emphasizes meaning and context. Chapters include a discussion of influential psychologists who have adopted this attitude and, in doing so, have forever changed the way that we understand thinking and learning. By exploring how experience is always meaningful, and how meaning can only be understood within a context, students will sharpen and develop critical thinking, and reflect on how they identify and shape meaning in their own lives. This book is accompanied by ancillaries designed to enhance the experience of both instructors and students: Instructor's Manual. This valuable resource provides a sample syllabus, open response activities for discussion, suggested research paper guidelines, and sample rubrics. Test Bank. For every chapter in the text, the Test Bank includes questions in multiple choice, true/false, and essay formats.

Professional helpers may harm their clients instead of helping them. This is one of the important implications - for the selection, training and practice of members of the helping professions - of the evidence reviewed in this book. Originally published in 1977, Gerald Smale argues that the expectations of the professional helper, whether social worker, doctor, psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, psychotherapist or counsellor, can act as self-fulfilling prophecies on his or her clients, for better or worse. In order to suggest how the expectations of the helper might operate, the author examines a three-stage model of self-fulfilling prophecies. The stages are: the prophecy; behaviour based upon the prophecy; the outcome brought about by the behaviour. Extensive evidence from the fields of experimenter bias, hypnosis and placebo medicine, psychotherapy, casework and counselling research, is reviewed and related to the model, and the relationship between this analysis and labelling theory is discussed. The book demonstrates that it is the behaviour of the worker towards the client which is of crucial importance, and proposes that the client's future and his or her personal strengths should be an important focus of the helping relationship. Finally, it outlines the dangers of negative expectations, and emphasises the ways in which expectations can be used to optimum effect.