George Kelly's personal construct theory, first published in 1955, is as radical today as it was then. Describing how each one of us goes about our daily life trying to make sense of the events around us, it maintains that we are in charge of what we do in the world, that we do not merely react to events. This book reveals that George Kelly was a man of enormous intellect, of many talents and of great complexity. Fay Fransella outlines how his views have influenced the theory and practice of psychotherapy, and illustrates how his training in physics and mathematics influenced his theory and led to the development of one of his methods of measurement - the repertory grid. The book also describes Kelly's philosophy of constructive alternativism, which suggests that we have created and can therefore recreate ourselves, and that what is true for the individual, rather than some external truth, is what matters. This philosophy can be seen as a precursor of the current emphasis on constructivism. Criticisms of Kelly's work and examples of work carried out within this framework since his death are also featured.
The narrative of this text follows ten years of a major initiative by Pirelli General - the creation and operation of an automated "factory of the future". Topics and themes developed and analyzed include: strategy formulation; "strategy and structure"; human resource management and industrial relations; site location; technological innovation; introducing total quality control management and a culture of continuous improvement; theories of leadership; and managing strategic change.
This analysis of managerial life addresses such themes as: the informal as well as the formal aspects of managing and organizing; processes of socialization, learning, continuity and change; manifestations of power and control; the significance of material and verbal symbolism as they are expressed in particular rhetorics, myths and rituals; management as a social and cultural process.
This text explains how new counsellors - and those with more experience - can develop and improve their skills within the cognitive-behavioural approach. The authors examine areas such as: refining assessments and planning strategies accordingly; monitoring and sustaining the client's motivation; using emotive and further cognitive techniques; and making progress with personality disorder clients. The book also contains various practical hints showing how counsellors can improve their counselling skills.
This text addresses the increasing polarization between traditional criminological theory and sceptical postmodernism. It seeks to offer a creative approach to understanding and explaining crime by drawing together disparate perspectives towards interdisciplinary integration. The authors develop a "constitutive" theory of crime that integrates insights from both modernist and postmodernist social and criminological theory, to examine the co-production of crime by human subjects and by the social and organizational structures that humans develop. This text aims to deconstruct the traditional discourse of crime and criminal justice, and replace it with a new discourse which offers greater possibilities of preventing recurrence of crime.
This study presents theoretical and practical perspectives on how society intervenes in the lives of people with disabilities, demonstrating ways in which such interventions can be ineffective and often counter-productive. The contributors to this volume seek to illustrate how, with thought and planning - and in some cases a shift of emphasis or attitude - resources for "disabled" individuals could be used more effectively. Issues covered include: considerations of specific types of disability; an examination of care and counselling; discussions of training, legislation and management; the impact of the caring professions on those with disabilities; and future developments in disability services. This work is a course reader for the Open University course K255, The Disabling Society.
The various studies in this book constitute a useful resource of the current level of knowledge on the pattern of, and trends in, regional disparities in the European Union. What they tend to show is that there remains enormous diversity in terms of production structures, responsiveness to exogenous stimuli, behaviour of labour markets and growth ......
This text offers an overview of contemporary cultural theory. Drawing together different approaches and traditions, the author demonstrates the breadth of the field of cultural theory and proposes a multidimensional model for understanding culture in late modernity. The four main issues of contemporary thought that the author discusses are: the analysis of modernity and modernization, including the concepts of late moderntiy and postmodernity; the critique of contemporary societies including the public and private spheres, power and resistance, institutions and social movements, taste hierarchies and subcultures; the interpretation of cultural symbols such as how texts, styles, genres and media work to produce meaning; and the formation of sleves and subjects including socialization, identity, authenticity and reflexivity. The author also discusses the work of among others, Jurgen Habermas, THomas Ziehe, Paul Ricoeur, Pierre Bourdieu, Jean Laplanche and Julia Kristeva.
The widespread rejection of conventional theory and method has led to the evolution of different ways to gather and analyze psychological data. This text provides a guide to key effective methods, which contain a range of qualitative approaches, for example, semi-structured interviews, grounded theory, and discourse analysis. A revision of quantitative methods to suit the changing picture of contemporary psychological research is presented alongside. A number of chapters are concerned with research as a dynamic interactive process and should be useful reading for those interested in conducting research in psychology.
