|
Showing 1 - 11 of
11 matches in All Departments
Taking Care established the author as an important social and
political analyst whose background happened to be in clinical
psychology. In this work the author develops the analysis of mental
illness, and psychology in general, in the contexts of society,
power and interest. People's experience is embodied in the world in
which they exist. Notwithstanding the claims of some, psychology
cannot, in the same way that magic cannot, change the nature of
that experience fundamentally. At best, psychotherapy might provide
a degree of understanding about that limitation. The historical
relationship between psychology and magic is examined. The
socio-political and economic structures of the society in which we
live have the greatest influence on mental health, as on many other
matters. Therefore, the individuation of focus in psychology on
personal relationships, happiness, and sexuality can significantly
miss the point. We need to develop political and social structures
that 'take care' of people, to enable them to have meaningful
'public' lives.
It is the main argument of this book that emotional and
psychological distress is often brought about through the operation
of social-environmental powers which have their origin at a
considerable distance from those ultimately subjected to them. On
the whole, psychology has concerned itself very little with the
field of power which stretches beyond our immediate relations with
each other, and this has led to serious limitations on the
explanatory power of the theories it has produced. To illustrate
this, typical cases of patient distress in the 1980s are examined.
The decade when the right-wing of politics proclaimed there was no
such thing as society gave rise to psychological distress across
social classes, as long-standing societal institutions were
dismantled. This is as much a work of sociology, politics, and
philosophy, as it is of psychology. Fundamentals of an
environmental understanding of distress are outlined. A person is
the interaction of a body with the environment.
It is the main argument of this book that emotional and
psychological distress is often brought about through the operation
of social-environmental powers which have their origin at a
considerable distance from those ultimately subjected to them. On
the whole, psychology has concerned itself very little with the
field of power which stretches be
Taking Care established the author as an important social and
political analyst whose background happened to be in clinical
psychology. In this work the author develops the analysis of mental
illness, and psychology in general, in the contexts of society,
power and interest. People's experience is embodied in the world in
which they exi
This book is directly aimed at sufferers of mental distress. The
book's aim is to remove from sufferers the burden of 'fault' for
their pain and to demystify some of the practices that surround the
'treatment' of mental illness. It is not exactly a self-help book
because it is a false claim of any 'treatment' of mental illness
that 'cure' can be brought about by exercise of will. Much of what
causes mental distress is lack of power and resource, outside the
control of the sufferer. Surviving without psychotherapy involves
the appreciation of several things. First, the limited nature of
therapeutic assistance - whilst clarification and support may help
the sufferer understand his/her predicament and encourage the use
of what resources the sufferer has, therapy cannot change the
distal root causes of distress. Second, that only socio-political
solutions can address some of the most powerful causes of distress,
e.g., redundancy, housing and poverty. In sounding a cautionary
note about psychoanalysis, Smail observes that mental distress is
far more about money than sex.
This work challenges the notion that anxiety and depression amount
to a mental illness denoting that something is wrong with the
individual sufferer. Instead, anxiety and depression are described
as perfectly rational responses to difficulties in the sufferer's
world, experienced subjectively by that person. An essential
contrast is drawn between objective conceptions of normality (what
reality ought to be as per commercial and other objectifying
sources) and the reality of the individual's subjective experience
of the world (abuse, unemployment, and so on). Chapters include
tackling the myth of normality; examining shyness; and analysing
the way in which assumptions behind the use of language can foster
anxiety and depression. The book's primary purpose is to explain
the meaning of anxiety as experienced by the sufferer. These
insights also lead to a view, by way of secondary purpose, that the
role of the therapist is not in 'curing' the individual, but rather
to negotiate demystification and to provide insight into the
effects of the problems in the sufferer's world, based on the
sufferer and the therapist's shared subjective understanding.
This book is directly aimed at sufferers of mental distress. The
book's aim is to remove from sufferers the burden of 'fault' for
their pain and to demystify some of the practices that surround the
'treatment' of mental illness. It is not exactly a self-help book
because it is a false claim of any 'treatment' of mental illness
that 'cure' can be brought about by exercise of will. Much of what
causes mental distress is lack of power and resource, outside the
control of the sufferer. Surviving without psychotherapy involves
the appreciation of several things. First, the limited nature of
therapeutic assistance - whilst clarification and support may help
the sufferer understand his/her predicament and encourage the use
of what resources the sufferer has, therapy cannot change the
distal root causes of distress. Second, that only socio-political
solutions can address some of the most powerful causes of distress,
e.g., redundancy, housing and poverty. In sounding a cautionary
note about psychoanalysis, Smail observes that mental distress is
far more about money than sex.
This work challenges the notion that anxiety and depression amount
to a mental illness denoting that something is wrong with the
individual sufferer. Instead, anxiety and depression are described
as perfectly rational responses to difficulties in the sufferer's
world, experienced subjectively by that person. An essential
contrast is drawn between objective conceptions of normality (what
reality ought to be as per commercial and other objectifying
sources) and the reality of the individual's subjective experience
of the world (abuse, unemployment, and so on). Chapters include
tackling the myth of normality; examining shyness; and analysing
the way in which assumptions behind the use of language can foster
anxiety and depression. The book's primary purpose is to explain
the meaning of anxiety as experienced by the sufferer. These
insights also lead to a view, by way of secondary purpose, that the
role of the therapist is not in 'curing' the individual, but rather
to negotiate demystification and to provide insight into the
effects of the problems in the sufferer's world, based on the
sufferer and the therapist's shared subjective understanding.
With the recent major reforms to the capital allowances regime, it
is imperative to remain on top of the legislation. This detailed
guide contains all the updates and changes you need in one place.
Practical text is complemented by a detailed tax planning section
written by Heather Britton of Francis Clark Chartered Accountants.
Worked examples, full reference to case law, HMRC pronouncements
and more, make this a compact all-you-need-to-know guide on capital
allowances.
The fourteenth edition of this leading text on the law of mortgages
gives the practitioner a detailed insight into this area. Covering
all aspects of the subject, it has been fully updated to take
account of the changes in the law since the last edition was
published, including the new company charges regime introduced by
the Companies Act 2006 (Amendment of Part 25) Regulations 2013, as
well as numerous case law developments.
Conventional therapeutic psychology suggest that we are essentially
self-creating and able (with a little help from a therapist) to
heal ourselves of the emotional ills that beset us. This kind of
view reflects the wishful thinking and make-believe that are
necessary for the success of modern consumer capitalism, but it
does not reflect the way things are. The alternative set out here,
based on the author's many years' experience of practice as a
clinical psychologist, offers a language and a set of concepts that
enable us to understand ourselves as real, embodied beings in an
equally real world that resists mere wishfulness. Our experience of
ourselves, as well as much of our conduct, are accounted for in
terms of the social operations of power and interest - and a
framework is established for making sense of our emotional distress
as the outcome of environmental pressures. David Smail argues that
to take ourselves seriously as social beings, embodied in a real
world over which as individuals we have very little influence, is
by no means grounds for despair. Rather, it encourages modesty,
appreciation of good fortune, compassion and recognition of our
common humanity.
|
|