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One of the most profound insights of the dynamic systems perspective is that new structures resulting from the developmental process do not need to be planned in advance, nor is it necessary to have these structures represented in genetic or neurological templates prior to their emergence. Rather, new structures can emerge as components of the individual and the environment self-organize; that is, as they mutually constrain each other's actions, new patterns and structures may arise. This theoretical possibility brings into developmental theory the important concept of indeterminism--the possibility that developmental outcomes may not be predictable in any simple linear causal way from their...
All psychological processes—like biological and social ones—are dynamic. Phenomena of nature, society, and the human psyche are context bound, constantly changing, and variable. This feature of reality is often not recognized in the social sciences where we operate with averaged data and with homogeneous stereotypes, and consider our consistency to be the cornerstone of rational being. Yet we are all inconsistent in our actions within a day, or from, one day to the next, and much of such inconsistency is of positive value for our survival and development. Our inconsistent behaviors and thoughts may appear chaotic, yet there is generality within this highly variable dynamic. The task of s...
This book provides an overview and discussion of Cultural Psychology of Semiotic Dynamics (CPSD) as a general developmental science. It discusses the challenging interplay between the sophisticated abstract concept of a holistic-dynamic understanding of the psyche and the concrete human experience. Chapters begin by framing the specific topics discussed in the book and elaborating on the border “zone” in between individual and collective-societal meanings. Subsequent chapters and a final conclusion discuss CPSC as an abstractive conceptual enterprise. The book is divided into sections, each beginning with a chapter written by Jaan Valsiner. The individual sections focus on (I) the nature...
This book takes a sociocultural, developmental and dialogical perspective to explore the constructive and interconnected nature of remembering and imagining. Conceived as cognitive-affective processes, both emerge at the border of the person and his or her socio-cultural world. Memory is approached as a functional adaption to the environment using the resources of the past in preparation for action in the present. Imagination is tightly related to memory in that both aim to escape the confines of the concrete here-and-now situation; however, while memory is primarily oriented to the past, imagination looks to the future. Both are embedded in the exchanges with the social and cultural milieu, and thus theorizing them has relied on key ideas from Lev Vygotsky, Frederic Bartlett and Mikhail Bakhtin. Thus, this book aims to integrate theories of remembering and imagining, through rich empirical studies in diverse cultural settings and concerning the development of self and identity. These two groups of studies compose the subparts that organize the book.
This volume understands itself as an invitation to follow a fundamental shift in perspective, away from the self-contained ‘I’ of Western conventions, and towards a relational self, where development and change are contingent on otherness. In the framework of ‘Dialogical Self Theory’ (Hermans & Hermans-Konopka, 2010; Hermans & Gieser, 2012), it is precisely the forms of interaction and exchange with others and with the world that determine the course of the self’s development. The volume hence addresses dialogical processes in human interaction from a psychological perspective, bringing together previously separate theoretical traditions about the ‘self’ and about ‘dialogue...
The relationship of mind to matter, and the very understanding of mind and matter still eludes understanding, even after millennia of philosophical work and centuries of scientific reflection. The present volume shows how process philosophy helps us in conceptualizing such problems. The reader will find twelve chapters—written by prominent specialists of various specializations—discussing the relation between a processual school of thinking and natural and psychological scientific research, with a focus on the problems of mind and experience. The three successive sections of the book scrutinise in increasing detail the human mind, to give the full overview of the role that process philosophy might play in providing a consistent, unified language for the description of physical and mental reality.
DIVGroundbreaking collection contends that humans must establish communication with the rest of nature and a mutually nurturing relationship that builds on nature’s presence in all human practices./div
It has been argued that properties of the visual-gestural modality impose a homogenizing effect on sign languages, leading to less structural variation in sign language structure as compared to spoken language structure. However, until recently, research on sign languages was limited to a number of (Western) sign languages. Before we can truly answer the question of whether modality effects do indeed cause less structural variation, it is necessary to investigate the similarities and differences that exist between sign languages in more detail and, especially, to include in this investigation less studied sign languages. The current research climate is testimony to a surge of interest in the...
Research on self-control in both philosophy and psychology is thriving. Yet, despite a wealth of recent philosophical work on the exercise of self-control, there has been surprisingly little empirically informed work in philosophy on self-control as a psychological trait. This book aims to fill this gap. There is abundant evidence that self-control is beneficial both to those who have it and to the societies in which they live. This book shows that the neo-Aristotelian framework for understanding self-control-related traits, which has dominated both philosophy and the sciences, is psychologically unrealistic and should be replaced. The traditional conceptions of temperance and continence nee...
Maness asks us to tie up our sneakers, for we are going to have some fun as we hike into the Grand Canyon of Love. Love is the treasure of life. It is Love all the way. Nothing else really matters outside of Love. Best of all, our Love will only get better in heaven. The treasured ability to have loving relationships is Gods gift to us in our Imago Deithe image of God we all share. Likewise, what we know of Love this side of heaven is but a dusty image of what God experiences. I want to get personally involved, says Maness. Can we have a free-will relationship with anyone, even God, if all of what we do and think is settled? I dont think so. Love is greater than that, and I shall prove that,...