This book provides a distinctive overview and analysis of the place of social construction in social psychology. The author's arguments revolve around two key questions: how can social constructionism account for changes in human identities?; and in what ways might social constructionism accommodate a role for nonhumans - whether technological or "natural" - in the constitution of identity? With interdisciplinary breadth the book locates these questions between recent innovations in social psychology and the highly influential contributions of actor-network theory, which has come to dominate the sociology of scientific knowledge. The fruitful mix of these perspectives sustains a clear and coherent discussion of how issues around agency, hybridity, marginality and the "other" can contribute to a better understanding of human identity. "Constructing Identities" should be of value to students and academics in social psychology, the sociology of scientific knowledge and anyone addressing the central concept of identity.
Josselson attempts to reconcile through firs t-hand accounts some of the ideological, moral, emotional an d practical dilemmas that surround narrative research and it s researchers by looking at what effects research has on bot h researcher and researched. '
`I judge this book to be something of a triumph. It provides many valuable insights into how social psychologists work within different paradigms and with quite different assumptions.... Throughout, the writing is clear, central issues are constantly re-examined, and sight is never lost of the whole "task" of the book... it addresses central ......
In today's world, identities are no longer built solely within communities of family, neighbourhood, school and work - the media plays an important role in formulating our identities or constructions of self. This volume brings together the usually segregated areas of interpersonal and mass communication, and also incorporates work from sociology, psychology and women's studies. Each contributor examines our understanding of self both within a specific context of mediated culture and within a specific theoretical framework, such as critical theory, social constructionism and feminism.
Research and practice on a widely used psychological test in forensic psychology - the MMPI-2 - are examined and integrated in this volume. Chapters discuss the psychological and legal bases of forensic psychological assessment in general, and the use of the MMPI-2 in particular, in a variety of specific forensic applications involving criminal and civil proceedings.
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.
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.
