Selfless: A Psychologist's Journey through Identity and Social Class

Selfless: A Psychologist's Journey through Identity and Social Class
Author: Geoffrey Beattie
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 322
Release: 2020-12-29
Genre: History
ISBN: 1000300250

Selfless is a memoir, reflecting on identity, social class, mobility, education, and on psychology itself; how psychology as a discipline is conducted, how it prioritises objects of study, how it uncovers psychological truths about the world. Geoffrey Beattie takes the reader on a journey through his early life in working-class Belfast, his Ph.D. at Trinity College Cambridge and subsequent academic and professional career, to explore fundamental issues within psychology about social class and social identity. Beattie discusses the difficulties inherent in this process of education and change, and how social background affects how you view academic work and the subject matter of one’s discipline. This book movingly details a life and how it is changed by the processes of education, the psychological pressures when abandoning those close to you, the dissonance within and how it feels and operates. The book takes a critical look at psychology from the other side, and examines the process of becoming ‘selfless’, meaning having little sense of self rather than being overly concerned with the wishes and needs of others. Showing how our early experiences and their influence continues throughout life, Beattie’s emotionally engaging, entertaining, and witty text offers general readers, students, and academics fresh insights into psychology, adaptation and personal change.

Lies, Lying and Liars

Lies, Lying and Liars
Author: Geoffrey Beattie
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 293
Release: 2024-04-25
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1040018157

Lies, Lying and Liars: A Psychological Analysis delves into the psychology of lies, exploring the processes of lying and its far-reaching consequences. The author’s unique approach considers the ways in which lying sculpts our realities when used by public figures such as politicians, as well as how lying is woven into our everyday life. This book dissects lies in natural social contexts, from the innocent childhood fibs to the more nefarious fabrications of con artists, cheats, and adulterers. Drawing from a rich tapestry of psychology and sociobiology, as well as research and literature from philosophy and the social sciences, this book discusses the role of lying and liars in day-to-day life. It offers profound insights into the strategies of deceit, the presence or absence of remorse, emotion and rationalisations, pathological liars, the development of lying, its connection to narcissism, the functional utility of lies, and lie detection. Lies, the book argues, are a part of the social structures inherent in everyday social life, and there is a need to explore their psychological significance in a range of natural, everyday contexts. Written in Beattie’s unique and engaging style by using elements of personal narrative and self-reflection, this is a fascinating read for students and scholars of psychology, sociology, and politics, and other disciplines of the behavioural and social sciences, as well as anyone interested in the phenomenon of lying.

A People Under Siege

A People Under Siege
Author: Aaron Edwards
Publisher: Merrion Press
Total Pages: 411
Release: 2023-05-03
Genre: History
ISBN: 1785373021

Since the Brexit referendum of 2016, extraordinary uncertainty has hung over the future of the Union between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, creating a crisis for the unionist community. A referendum that began on the question of sovereignty quickly degenerated into cries of betrayal over a redrawn border in the Irish Sea, and has led to unionists becoming more insular again, resurrecting ethnic and nationalist notions of what constitutes the Union. In A People Under Siege, historian Aaron Edwards, a native of Belfast, explores the profound challenges facing the community and, in the process, articulates what is really meant by unionism. He explains key developments within unionism over the past turbulent century and examines how a people who believe themselves to be once again under siege are viewed by others beyond their community. In doing so he confronts the narrow, sectional beliefs and prejudices of unionists and loyalists, as well as outlining their more positive and forward-thinking aspects. By embracing these, Edwards explains how divisions could be healed and a position reached of mutual acceptance, tolerance and understanding that will benefit the entire population.

Society, Behaviour, and Climate Change Mitigation

Society, Behaviour, and Climate Change Mitigation
Author: Eberhard Jochem
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 249
Release: 2006-01-05
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 030648160X

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change (IPCC) was jointly established by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Envir- ment Programme (UNEP) to assess the scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant for the understanding of the risk of human-induced climate change. Since its inception the IPCC has produced a series of comprehensive - sessment Reports, Special Reports and Technical Papers on the state of the und- standing of causes of climate change, its potential impacts, and options for response strategies. In 1998, Working Group III (WG III) of the ongoing Third Assessment was charged by the IPCC Plenary to assess the scientific, technical, environmental, economic and social aspects of the mitigation of climate change and a series of cross-cutting issues such as equity, development and sustainability. Its mandate was changed from a predominantly disciplinary assessment of the economic and social dimensions of climate change in the Second Assessment Report to an interdisciplinary assessment of the options to control the emissions of greenhouse gases and/or enhance their sinks. One key issue of the IPCC Third Assessment Report (TAR) on mitigation of climate change, which has undergone an extensive review by scientists and governments, is the role of present and future behaviour of individuals, households, private and p- lic companies, public authorities and other stakeholders.

Scared Selfless

Scared Selfless
Author: Michelle Stevens, PhD
Publisher: National Geographic Books
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2018-03-27
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0735215359

“A riveting memoir that takes readers on a roller coaster ride from the depths of hell to triumphant success.”—Dave Pelzer, author of A Child Called “It” Michelle Stevens has a photo of the exact moment her childhood was stolen from her: She’s only eight years old, posing for her mother’s boyfriend, Gary Lundquist—an elementary school teacher, neighborhood stalwart, and brutal pedophile. Later that night, Gary locks Michelle in a cage, tortures her repeatedly, and uses her to quench his voracious and deviant sexual whims. Little does she know that this will become her new reality for the next six years. Michelle can also pinpoint the moment she reconstituted the splintered pieces of her life: She’s in cap and gown, receiving her PhD in psychology—and the university’s award for best dissertation. The distance between these two points is the improbable journey from torture, loss, and mental illness to healing, recovery, and triumph that is Michelle’s powerful memoir, Scared Selfless. Michelle suffered from post‐traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression, and made multiple suicide attempts. She also developed multiple personalities. There was “Chelsey,” the rebellious teenager; “Viscous,” a tween with homicidal rage; and “Sarah,” a sweet little girl who brought her teddy bear on a first date. In this harrowing tale, Michelle, who was inspired to help others heal by becoming a psychotherapist, sheds light on the all-too-real threat of child sexual abuse, its subsequent psychological effects, and the best methods for victims to overcome their ordeals and, ultimately, thrive. Scared Selfless is both an examination of the extraordinary feats of the mind that are possible in the face of horrific trauma as well as Michelle’s courageous testament to their power.

The Selfless Constitution

The Selfless Constitution
Author: Stu Woolman
Publisher: African Books Collective
Total Pages: 582
Release: 2021-07-28
Genre: Law
ISBN: 1920033793

Do you possess 'freedom'-the will to do as you choose-as an individual, as a participant in social affairs or as a citizen in the political realm? Well, no. Not really. At least not as most of us understand a term loaded down with metaphysical baggage. Don't worry. You've got something better: a neurological system capable of carrying out the most complex analytical and computational tasks; membership in innumerable communities that provide you with huge stores of knowledge and wisdom; and a politico-constitutional order that ought to provide the material and the immaterial conditions that will enable you to pursue a life worth valuing. Drop the simplistic folk-psychology of unfettered freedom, whilst holding on to intentionality, and you might be inclined to adopt a set of social practices and political arrangements that enhance the chances that you and your compatriots will flourish. As many recent studies of consciousness reveal our neurological systems are complex feedback mechanisms designed to create myriad for trial and error and (if you survive) the production of new stores of knowledge. Individuals-comprised of numerous radically heterogeneous, naturally and socially determined selves-are always experimenting, attempting to divine through reflection and action, what 'works' best: even when 'best' means fully embracing who we already are. Choice architects, those persons charged with constructing the environments within which we operate daily, should (if responsible) regularly run experiments that attempt to eliminate biases, and ultimately, deliver norms that nudge us away from negative defaults toward more optimal ends. A constitutional democracy, made up of millions of radically heterogeneous, densely populated individuals, constantly strives to determine what works best for most of its many constituents. Because South Africa's Constitution states (at an extremely high level of generality) only some of the norms that govern our lives, it remains for citizens, representatives and judges to create doctrines and institutions that serve its capaciously framed ends best. After canvassing the relevant literature in neuroscience, empirical philosophy, behavioural psychology, social capital theory, development economics, and emergent experimental governance, this work suggests that manifold experiments in living that fall within the accepted parameters of our shared constitutional norms are likely, over time, to produce more optimal ways of being that can be replicated by other members of our polity. Our reflexive stance toward best practices-a linchpin of this book's take on experimental governance-when inextricably linked to a commitment to flourishing and to the expansion of individual capabilities, should cause us to alter the content of the fundamental norms that shape our lives and bind us to one another. A political order founded upon experimental constitutionalism and flourishing promises an egalitarian pluralist reformation of South African society. The book spins out its novel thesis against the concrete backdrop of political arrangements and judicial doctrines that have emerged during the first 20 years of our truly vibrant constitutional democracy. Its trenchant analysis of political institutions and constitutional case law shows us how far we have come, and how far we still have to go.

Living Donor Transplantation

Living Donor Transplantation
Author: Henkie P. Tan
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 490
Release: 2007-04-27
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1420019651

Edited by leaders at one of the acclaimed transplant institutions in the United States, this reference covers all aspects of living donor solid organ and cellular transplantation in current clinical practice, including the kidney, liver, pancreas, lung, small bowel, islet, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Detailed, engaging, and organ-

An Introduction to Social Psychology

An Introduction to Social Psychology
Author: Miles Hewstone
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 672
Release: 2016-08-22
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1118823532

For over 25 years An Introduction to Social Psychology has been combining traditional academic rigor with a contemporary level of cohesion, accessibility, pedagogy and instructor support to provide a definitive guide to the engaging and ever-evolving field of social psychology. This sixth edition, completely revised and updated to reflect current issues and underlying theory in the field, has been specially designed to meet the needs of students at all levels, with contributions written by leading psychologists, each an acknowledged expert in the topics covered in a given chapter. The text benefits hugely from an updated range of innovative pedagogical features intended to catch the imagination, combined with a rigorous editorial approach, which results in a cohesive and uniform style accessible to all. Each chapter addresses both major themes and key studies, showing how the relevant field of research has developed over time and linking classic and contemporary perspectives.

Rewriting Cultural Psychology

Rewriting Cultural Psychology
Author: David Y. F. Ho
Publisher: BrownWalker Press
Total Pages: 270
Release: 2019-10-15
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1627347348

This volume is addressed to scholars as well as a popular audience, aimed to bridge the gap between academia and the general public. It deals with "who we are," concerning our sense of self and identity; and "how we live," concerning our ways of life in diverse cultures. It affirms that we may transcend our cultural-ethnic roots and redefine our identities, individual or collective. Transcendence opens the door not only to personal transformation but also to confront ethnic stereotypes and prejudices. Readers will gain fresh cultural knowledge from both the East and the West and be attuned to the theme of letting no ethnic group be alien to us. This book is at once about the immersion of life in culture and the remaking of culture by human action--reciprocal influence at work.  The idea of immersion underscores the powerful cultural forces that shape our perceptions, thinking, and emotions. Unlike other cultural psychology texts, this volume dwells on the accelerating alterations of culture by human action, and hence the remaking of our own being, in the age of the Internet. In the author's own words: "I write with the passion of a person who has lived life from being marginal, neither Eastern nor Western, to being a world citizen; turned to English like a duck to the water, thus circumventing my handicap of Chinese orthographic dyslexia. I have two cultural parents, one Chinese and one Western, who transformed me into a thoroughly bilingual-bicultural person, empowered to build intercultural bridges. The East is rising, and the West can ill-afford to remain ignorant of the East."

Adolescent Psychology Around the World

Adolescent Psychology Around the World
Author: Jeffrey Jensen Arnett
Publisher: Psychology Press
Total Pages: 425
Release: 2012-04-05
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 1136673342

This book paints a portrait of adolescent psychology in 4 major regions: Africa/the Middle East, Asia, the Americas, and Europe. Featuring 24 revised and updated chapters from the International Encyclopedia of Adolescence (2007), readers are introduced to the way the majority of the world’s adolescents actually live. Most contributors are indigenous to the country they review. As a whole the book paints an engaging panorama of adolescent life around the world, broadening students’ cultural perspective. All chapters follow the same template to make it easier to compare topics across countries: Background (including demographics, ethnic diversity, and political system), Period of Adolescence, Beliefs, Gender, the Self, Family Relationships, Friends and Peers/Youth Culture, Love and Sexuality, Health Risk Behavior, Education, Work, Media, Politics and Military, and Unique Issues. Each chapter contains a map and photos and a list of references and suggested readings. The introductory chapter explains why the countries were selected and introduces the book’s common themes. The section on Africa and the Middle East introduces students to teen life in Cameroon, one of the few places left where adolescents go through formal puberty rituals. In addition, readers learn about adolescent life in Ethiopia, Israel, Morocco, Nigeria, and Sudan. Next we travel to Asia -- China, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines. Here readers see how economic growth in India and China is creating opportunities for young people. In The Americas, readers are introduced to life in Argentina, Canada, Chile, Mexico, Peru, and the United States. The book concludes with adolescent life in Europe including the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, Sweden, and the UK. Intended for courses in adolescent psychology, lifespan development, and/or cultural (cross-cultural) psychology taught in departments of psychology, human development and family studies, sociology, and education, this book will also appeal to researchers and clinicians who study or work with adolescents.