Unfolding Social Constructionism

Unfolding Social Constructionism
Author: Fiona J. Hibberd
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 220
Release: 2006-11-24
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0387229752

For more than half of the 20* century, psychologists sought to locate the causes of behaviour in individuals and tended to neglect the possibility of locating the psy chological in the social. In the late 1960s, a reaction to that neglect brought about a "crisis" in social psychology. This "crisis" did not affect all social psychologists; some remained seemingly oblivious to its presence; others dismissed its signifi cance and continued much as before. But, in certain quarters, the psychological was re-conceptualised as the social, and the social was taken to be sui generis. Moreover, the possibility of developing general laws and theories to describe and explain social interaction was rejected on the grounds that, as social beings, our actions vary from occasion to occasion, and are, for many reasons, unrepeatable. There is, so it was thought, an inherent instability in the phenomena of interest. The nomothetic ideal was said to rest on individualistic cause-effect positivism of the kind which (arguably) characterised the natural sciences, but social psychology (so it was said) is an historical inquiry, and its conclusions are necessarily historically relative (Gergen, 1973). Events outside psychology converged to give impetus to the "crisis" within.

An Invitation to Social Construction

An Invitation to Social Construction
Author: Kenneth J Gergen
Publisher: SAGE
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2015-04-25
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1473927714

This new edition of Kenneth J. Gergen’s celebrated text An Invitation to Social Construction is now even more accessible for students, offering a clear and thorough introduction to one of the most significant movements in contemporary social science. The Third Edition includes: updates reflecting the many new developments in theory, research, and practice a more student-friendly, personal writing style three new chapters on education, and therapy and health care, and organizations key insights into how social construction can help support you in your research projects, from start to finish. An Invitation to Social Construction is the must-read text for all social science students, academics and practitioners wishing to learn about social constructionism, along with the forms of inquiry and practice central to its impact.

Research and Social Change

Research and Social Change
Author: Sheila McNamee
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 145
Release: 2012-03-15
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1136463208

This book bridges scholarly forms of inquiry and practitioners’ daily activities. It introduces inquiry as a process of relational construction, offering resources to practitioners who want to reflect on how their work generates practical effects. There are hundreds of books on research, but in keeping with social scientific traditions, many emphasize method and neglect broader, overarching assumptions and interests. Further, most are written in ways that speak to those in the academic community and not to a wider audience of professionals and practitioners. The present text lays out relational constructionist premises and explores these in terms of their generative possibilities both for inquiry and social change work. It is applicable for professionals in the fields of social services, education, organizational consulting, community work, public policy, and healthcare. Using accessible language and extensive use of case examples, this book will help reflective practitioners or practice-oriented academics approach inquiry in ways that are coherent and consistent with a relational constructionist orientation. This volume will be useful for undergraduates, graduate students, and practitioners engaged in professional development, with particular use for those scholar-practitioners who want to reflect on and learn from their practice and who want to produce practical results with and for those with whom they are working. It is also aimed at those scholar-practitioners who want to contribute to a wider understanding of how social relations (groups, organizations, communities, etc.) can work effectively.

Institutional Constructivism in Social Sciences and Law

Institutional Constructivism in Social Sciences and Law
Author: Dora Kostakopoulou
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 231
Release: 2018-10-04
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1108470548

The book develops the model of institutional constructivism to aid socio-legal research and to account for patterns of socio-legal change.

Wittgenstein’s Philosophy in Psychology

Wittgenstein’s Philosophy in Psychology
Author: Gavin Brent Sullivan
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 438
Release: 2018-02-05
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1137456914

This book highlights the importance of Ludwig Wittgenstein’s writings on psychology and psychological phenomena for the historical development of contemporary psychology. It presents an insightful assessment of the philosopher’s work, particularly his later writings, which draws on key interpretations that have informed our understanding of metapsychological and psychological issues. Wittgenstein’s Philosophy in Psychology engages with both critics and followers of the philosopher’s work to demonstrate its enduring relevance to psychology today. Sullivan presents a novel examination of Wittgenstein’s later writings by providing historical detail about the uptake, understanding and use of Wittgenstein’s remarks and method in psychology and related areas of social science, examining persistent sources of conceptual confusion and showing how to apply his insights in investigations of collectives, social life, emotions, subjectivity, and development. In doing so, he reveals the value for psychologists in adopting a philosophical method of conceptual investigation to work through and become more reflexive about prominent theories, methods, therapies and practices in their respective, multiple fields and thereby create a resource for future theoretical, empirical and applied psychologists. This work will be of particular relevance to students and academics engaged in the history of psychology and to practitioners interested in understanding the continued importance of Wittgenstein’s work within the practices of psychology.

Social Theory and Language

Social Theory and Language
Author: Glyn Williams
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2020-06-07
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1000142736

This volume offers a comprehensive treatment of the historical developments underpinning our present understandings of the relationship between language and the social by integrating the study of language with key strands of sociological theory.// The book posits that theory conditions how objects are constructed and in turn the meanings allocated to them and explores the implications for the relationship between language and the social. The volume traces this relationship from its foundations in the work of Enlightenment philosophers, in which sociology and linguistics emerged as coherent disciplines. Taking this work as a point of departure, the book examines the unfolding of the interplay between language and the social across developments in sociological theory in subsequent eras, encompassing such strands as Marxism, functionalism, interactionism, anti-foundationalism, poststructuralism, critical theory, and critical realism. A final chapter turns its eye toward contemporary sociolinguistics and its treatment of different sociological perspectives and future directions for its continued development. // Reflecting on trajectories in sociological theory toward informing our understanding of the relationship between language and the social today, this book will be key reading for students and scholars in sociolinguistics, philosophy of language, and those working in sociology and geography with an interest in language issues.

Well-being In Later Life

Well-being In Later Life
Author: Linda J. Garcia
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 155
Release: 2022-12-30
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1000811778

Advancing the notion of connected autonomy, and highlighting the importance of interdisciplinary research in the development of this novel concept, this volume explores the possibility of maintaining the freedom to make one’s own decisions in later life, while also remaining connected to others – as well as to things, services, places and events. Through a series of case studies, the book examines the importance of preserving self-determination as health, environmental and social circumstances render autonomy more difficult, showing that innovations in social interaction and technology have the capacity to enhance older persons’ connectedness to their environment, while at the same time, offering opportunities for self-governance. As such, it will appeal to scholars across the social sciences with interests in ageing and the life course, the sociology of science and technology and research methods.

Handbook of Critical Approaches to Politics and Policy of Education

Handbook of Critical Approaches to Politics and Policy of Education
Author: Kenneth J. Saltman
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 414
Release: 2022-04-27
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1000573958

The Handbook of Critical Approaches to Politics and Policy of Education provides a broad overview of educational policy and politics from critical perspectives engaging with both foundational and cutting edge topics. In critical perspectives, educational policy debates and programs for reform are about more than narrow questions of efficacy say to raise test scores or for simply more educational inclusion, fairer school spending, or even cultural responsiveness. Rather, policy and reform debates represent contested visions for schools and society by social groups vying for hegemony. Critical approaches to educational policy and politics see schooling and education more broadly as contested terrain in which competing visions for education are imbricated with the material and symbolic interests and cultural ideologies of different classes and cultural groups. Chapters in this volume are organized into five sections. The first three sections provide a foundational overview to educational policy and politics, covering culture and politics of education, political economy of education, and subjectivity and education. These chapters address longstanding and current policy and political debates as well as foundational theoretical debates. The last two sections are organized around two themes that address some of the most significant recent directions of educational politics and policy: disaster politics and technology.

Addiction and Spiritual Transformation

Addiction and Spiritual Transformation
Author: Srdjan Sremac
Publisher: LIT Verlag Münster
Total Pages: 199
Release: 2013
Genre: Health & Fitness
ISBN: 3643904517

This study explores the relationship between addiction and spiritual transformation. More specifically, it examines how recovering drug addicts employ testimonies of conversion and addiction to develop and sustain a sense of personal unity and create meaning from varied experiences in life. Drawing on 31 original autobiographies, the book analyzes conversion and addiction testimonies in two European contexts: Serbia and The Netherlands. (Series: Religion and Biography / Religion und Biographie - Vol. 22)