The focus of this book is on the role of narrative analysis in the social sciences and in increasing our understanding of human lives and experiences. Contributors address such questions as: Should in-depth interviews become occasions in which to ask for life stories so as to enhance a study of social phenomena? Can a richer approach to psychological understanding be reached by studying how experience, conscious and unconscious, is organized, interpreted and reshaped throughout the life cycle? How can biographical work be used to shed light on the social construction of individual lives? In addition, the book covers the use of narrative analysis in career biography, in examining turning points in people's lives, in the effects of language on women at work, and in discovering common themes between people in similar careers and with shared experiences.
In response to widespread cultural fantasies about the child--including childhood innocence, the child as origin of the adult, the fetal emergence of subjectivity, and the ''inner child'' movement--Hide and Seek examines representations of the child in fiction, psychoanalysis, and popular culture.Concentrating on the ''go-between'' function of the ......
Violent television programmes and video games, printed tobacco advertisements, television beer commercials and sexually suggestive music videos: how do these and other forms of popular media affect teenagers' thinking, behaviour and health? This volume clearly makes the case that the media play a role in diverse facets of at-risk behaviour and adjustment. The author reviews current research findings on the influences of media on adolescents, how the influences occur, and the short- and long-term effects of exposure. He explores topics critical to mental and physical health including teenage violence, sexual activity, substance abuse and eating disorders.
This textbook examines major theories of personality as they apply to an understanding of our past, present and future selves. Unlike traditional personality textbooks that merely present a succession of different theories, this student-centred volume examines how theories of personality have a bearing on questions that are relevant across the lifespan. A question-and-answer format invites students to approach personality psychology with an active attitude of critical inquiry in their search for objective knowledge and self-discovery. Throughout the text, students are encouraged to evaluate each theory in terms of how much it contributes to an understanding of their own personalities and lives. An instructor's manual is available to lecturers who adopt the book for their courses on request from SAGE.
Using the results of a participant observation study, Robyn M Holmes illustrates how young children learn about ethnic identity. Unlike many previous studies, performed in experimental and contrived settings, the author worked with children in a kindergarten environment. The resulting account uses the children's own words and drawings to illustrate their beliefs and understanding about race and ethnicity. Particular issues addressed include: how children understand group boundaries; view their selves; and develop an ethnic component of friendship, romance and procreation.
How women decide to balance work, marriage and motherhood; what happens as they age as a result of their decisions; and gender stereotypes of young, middle-aged and older women are among the topics examined in this volume. Relating research on older women to theoretical and conceptual developments in the psychology of adult development and ageing, contributions also include a life-span approach to attachment theory. In addition, a penetrating historical analysis of cultural images of the nature of cognition, mind and creativity is presented, and gender identity continuity and change in midlife explored. The social convey and support-efficacy models are also used to describe causal mechanisms through which social relations and gender differences in social relations may develop.
The ways in which critical interpersonal bonds are forged and maintained are the focus of this interdisciplinary volume. Parent-teenager relations, the impact of cultural diversity on social development, cliques and both same-sex and opposite-sex friendships are among the topics explored. Examining the nature and impact of various adolescent personal relationships, the contributors also explore heterosexual, bisexual and homosexual romantic involvements, and young people's relationships with non-kin adults.
`This book... will be particularly valuable for clinicians interested in child and adolescent depressive disorders, since it includes a lot of material from work with adults that is often hard for such clinicians to assess. A very useful addition to the library' - European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Leading practitioners and researchers contribute to this volume, which focuses on recent advances in the understanding and treatment of the common psychological difficulties of anxiety and depression. Chapters cover such topics as: self-management theory; unipolar depression; and the assessment and treatment of sexually abused children. With case examples and exercises highlighting important clinical concepts, the volume integrates empirical research with clinical applications.
The assessment and improvement of eyewitness testimony of children is the topic of this volume. The first section examines factors that contribute to the reliability and accuracy of testimony, including the effects of extended delays, repeated questioning and exposure to leading questions. The second part describes techniques that have been developed to improve the quality of children's testimony, including interview techniques and the use of anatomically correct dolls, and explores their empirical and theoretical underpinnings. The final chapters focus on policy issues, including psychological research designed to guide legal reforms for accommodating child witnesses into the legal system.
