- Table View
- List View
The Perfume of Soul from Freud to Lacan: A Critical Reading of Smelling, Breathing and Subjectivity
by Berjanet JazaniThe Perfume of Soul from Freud to Lacan seeks to understand the human sense of smell and its marks on our subjectivity from a psychoanalytic perspective.Accessibly written, the book considers whether our understanding of the sense of smell and odours in culture has changed over time, and where we locate olfaction in theories of psychoanalysis. Beginning with the theorisation of the sense of smell in philosophy and medicine, Berjanet Jazani explores what treatment of this sense we can find in historical and contemporary linguistic and cultural context. Jazani then takes examples from the psychoanalytic clinic as well as cultural references, from cinema to ancient literature, to elaborate the marks of the olfactory experiences on our subjectivity and sexuality. Lacanian theories, clinical anecdotes and autobiographical references are woven together to raise some critical questions about the law of odours as well as the invisible marks of breathing on subjective position, body, and symptom.The Perfume of Soul from Freud to Lacan will be of great interest to psychoanalysts, academics, and all readers who are interested in psychoanalysis, philosophy, and culture.
Foucault Versus Freud: Oedipal Theory and the Deployment of Sexuality (Psychological Issues)
by Jerome C. WakefieldIn Foucault Versus Freud, Jerome C. Wakefield offers a novel analysis of one of the great intellectual clashes of our times, the attack on Sigmund Freud's influential sexual theories by the eminent French philosopher and historian of ideas Michel Foucault.Starting from Foucault's question, "What makes the psychoanalytic theory of incest acceptable to the bourgeois family?", and drawing on Foucault's relatively unexplored published lectures as well as his celebrated History of Sexuality, Vol. 1, Wakefield evaluates Foucault's argument that there is a continuity between the two-century medical anti-masturbation crusade and Freud's theory, providing the reader with an accessible introduction to Foucault's conceptual innovations including power/knowledge, the deployment of sexuality, and the use of surveillance and confession as tactics in medicalizing sexuality and reshaping family life.Rather than allowing the argument to stay at the evidentially uncertain level one often finds in Foucault's writings, Wakefield undertakes close readings of both Freud's "seduction-theory" texts and later Oedipal-period texts to test whether Foucault's provocative arguments find support or disconfirmation. Despite identifying weaknesses in Foucault's position, Wakefield argues that a careful look at Freud's sexual theories through Foucault's theoretical lens changes forever the way one sees Freud's theory—and has the potential to help psychoanalysis move forward in a constructive way.This book is written to be understandable for those who are not steeped in philosophy or familiar with Foucault's philosophy, offering a lucid introduction to Foucault's ideas and his clash with Freud that will be of interest to clinicians, students, and scholars alike.
Foucault Versus Freud: Oedipal Theory and the Deployment of Sexuality (Psychological Issues)
by Jerome C. WakefieldIn Foucault Versus Freud, Jerome C. Wakefield offers a novel analysis of one of the great intellectual clashes of our times, the attack on Sigmund Freud's influential sexual theories by the eminent French philosopher and historian of ideas Michel Foucault.Starting from Foucault's question, "What makes the psychoanalytic theory of incest acceptable to the bourgeois family?", and drawing on Foucault's relatively unexplored published lectures as well as his celebrated History of Sexuality, Vol. 1, Wakefield evaluates Foucault's argument that there is a continuity between the two-century medical anti-masturbation crusade and Freud's theory, providing the reader with an accessible introduction to Foucault's conceptual innovations including power/knowledge, the deployment of sexuality, and the use of surveillance and confession as tactics in medicalizing sexuality and reshaping family life.Rather than allowing the argument to stay at the evidentially uncertain level one often finds in Foucault's writings, Wakefield undertakes close readings of both Freud's "seduction-theory" texts and later Oedipal-period texts to test whether Foucault's provocative arguments find support or disconfirmation. Despite identifying weaknesses in Foucault's position, Wakefield argues that a careful look at Freud's sexual theories through Foucault's theoretical lens changes forever the way one sees Freud's theory—and has the potential to help psychoanalysis move forward in a constructive way.This book is written to be understandable for those who are not steeped in philosophy or familiar with Foucault's philosophy, offering a lucid introduction to Foucault's ideas and his clash with Freud that will be of interest to clinicians, students, and scholars alike.
Leadership at the Spiritual Edge: Emerging and Non-Western Concepts of Leadership and Spirituality
by Mohammed Raei Stacey K. Guenther Lisa A. BerkleyThis insightful book explores the intersection of spirituality and leadership, examining cutting edge research, theory, and practices that help build healthy and long‑term effective leadership. Showcasing non‑Western views of leadership across a range of backgrounds, the book looks at leadership styles that raise and expand consciousness to enable better problem solving when addressing the complex challenges of organizations and societies.Across four sections, the book considers a myriad of themes from surrender to compassion, the dark and shadow side to the illuminating light of love, as well as offering a spotlight on individual leader development to highlight the role of the collective. Each chapter individually and collectively represents the essence of a profound shift in how leadership is approached in the 21st century. The volume offers a variety of viewpoints addressing this spiritual turn in leadership scholarship, and provides leadership tools to assist leaders in honing their practices to address contemporary challenges and unleash their full potential.In a world where the challenges are immense and multifaceted, this anthology explores leadership that transcends the mundane and ventures into the extraordinary. Leadership at the Spiritual Edge will be of use to researchers, scholars, and students of leadership studies, particularly those interested in new ways of viewing and developing leadership.
Leadership at the Spiritual Edge: Emerging and Non-Western Concepts of Leadership and Spirituality
This insightful book explores the intersection of spirituality and leadership, examining cutting edge research, theory, and practices that help build healthy and long‑term effective leadership. Showcasing non‑Western views of leadership across a range of backgrounds, the book looks at leadership styles that raise and expand consciousness to enable better problem solving when addressing the complex challenges of organizations and societies.Across four sections, the book considers a myriad of themes from surrender to compassion, the dark and shadow side to the illuminating light of love, as well as offering a spotlight on individual leader development to highlight the role of the collective. Each chapter individually and collectively represents the essence of a profound shift in how leadership is approached in the 21st century. The volume offers a variety of viewpoints addressing this spiritual turn in leadership scholarship, and provides leadership tools to assist leaders in honing their practices to address contemporary challenges and unleash their full potential.In a world where the challenges are immense and multifaceted, this anthology explores leadership that transcends the mundane and ventures into the extraordinary. Leadership at the Spiritual Edge will be of use to researchers, scholars, and students of leadership studies, particularly those interested in new ways of viewing and developing leadership.
Relationship with the Self: Actionable Inputs for Personal Growth and Change
by Pallavi SrivastavaThis book delves into the various aspects of a person’s relationship with their inner selves and the impact this crucial relationship can have on their well-being. It offers insights, tools, and practices to understand and nurture this relationship focusing not only on the ‘what’ but also on the ‘how’ of it. Designed to be a self-help guide, this book takes readers on an exciting journey into their inner worlds and dives into the various voices within a person. Drawing from the fields of psychology, coaching, and mindfulness, the book breaks down complex ideas like acceptance, authenticity, and selfcompassion into actionable steps.The book will be indispensable for readers interested in improving well-being and enhancing personal development skills. It will also be useful for students and researchers of positive psychology and behavioral psychology and mental health and wellness rofessionals including therapists, counsellors, and executive coaches.
Relationship with the Self: Actionable Inputs for Personal Growth and Change
by Pallavi SrivastavaThis book delves into the various aspects of a person’s relationship with their inner selves and the impact this crucial relationship can have on their well-being. It offers insights, tools, and practices to understand and nurture this relationship focusing not only on the ‘what’ but also on the ‘how’ of it. Designed to be a self-help guide, this book takes readers on an exciting journey into their inner worlds and dives into the various voices within a person. Drawing from the fields of psychology, coaching, and mindfulness, the book breaks down complex ideas like acceptance, authenticity, and selfcompassion into actionable steps.The book will be indispensable for readers interested in improving well-being and enhancing personal development skills. It will also be useful for students and researchers of positive psychology and behavioral psychology and mental health and wellness rofessionals including therapists, counsellors, and executive coaches.
Health Psychology (Topics in Applied Psychology)
by Charles Abraham Mark Conner Fiona Jones Daryl O'ConnorNow in its third edition, Health Psychology offers the perfect introduction to this rapidly developing field. Clearly explaining the psychological processes that shape health-related behaviors, and affect core functions such as the immune and cardiovascular systems, it shows how these relationships provide the foundation for psychological interventions which can change cognition, perception and behavior, thereby improving health.Divided into five parts, the book looks at the biological bases of health and illness, stress and health, coping resources, motivation and behaviour, and applied health psychology. The third edition has been revised to highlight:• Current research on the biological processes that underpin stress and illness.• How stress can be best managed at individual, organisational and community levels.• The ways people’s beliefs and attitudes shape motivation and behaviour.• How health promotion can effectively change beliefs and attitudes to promote health behavior change.• The implications of current health psychology research for services.• How health psychology research can improve healthcare practice.• Looking at the roles of practitioner health psychologists.The book is supported by useful in-text features including boxes that highlight key issues, activity boxes and essay questions to engage readers in applying what they have learned from research, and suggestions for further reading to encourage further study.With its clear structure and ability to eloquently link theory to real-world application, this is the perfect primer for both undergraduates studying health psychology for the first time, and those embarking on postgraduate study in this exciting field.
Health Psychology (Topics in Applied Psychology)
by Charles Abraham Mark Conner Fiona Jones Daryl O'ConnorNow in its third edition, Health Psychology offers the perfect introduction to this rapidly developing field. Clearly explaining the psychological processes that shape health-related behaviors, and affect core functions such as the immune and cardiovascular systems, it shows how these relationships provide the foundation for psychological interventions which can change cognition, perception and behavior, thereby improving health.Divided into five parts, the book looks at the biological bases of health and illness, stress and health, coping resources, motivation and behaviour, and applied health psychology. The third edition has been revised to highlight:• Current research on the biological processes that underpin stress and illness.• How stress can be best managed at individual, organisational and community levels.• The ways people’s beliefs and attitudes shape motivation and behaviour.• How health promotion can effectively change beliefs and attitudes to promote health behavior change.• The implications of current health psychology research for services.• How health psychology research can improve healthcare practice.• Looking at the roles of practitioner health psychologists.The book is supported by useful in-text features including boxes that highlight key issues, activity boxes and essay questions to engage readers in applying what they have learned from research, and suggestions for further reading to encourage further study.With its clear structure and ability to eloquently link theory to real-world application, this is the perfect primer for both undergraduates studying health psychology for the first time, and those embarking on postgraduate study in this exciting field.
On Freud’s “Neurosis and Psychosis” and “The Loss of Reality in Neurosis and Psychosis”: 100 Years Later (The International Psychoanalytical Association Contemporary Freud Turning Points and Critical Issues Series)
by Jacques BerlinerblauOn Freud’s “Neurosis and Psychosis” and “The Loss of Reality in Neurosis and Psychosis” explores these two key papers on the topics of psychosis and neurosis and their relationship to the unconscious and to reality.The contributors to this book approach these texts from both a historical and a contemporary point of view, highlighting their fundamental contributions and comparing Freud’s thoughts with modern psychoanalytic theory. The chapters demonstrate the ongoing richness of Freud’s work and his legacy by highlighting new ideas and developments and include both clinical vignettes and theoretical insight. The contributors also raise questions that deserve further study, about the understanding and treatment of psychosis in children, distinctions and similarities between autism and psychosis, and the way in which aspects of our rapidly changing world – social media, climate change, AI - influence the evolution of psychotic states.On Freud’s “Neurosis and Psychosis” and “The Loss of Reality in Neurosis and Psychosis” will be essential reading for psychoanalysts and psychoanalytically oriented clinicians in practice and in training. It will also be of interest to academics and scholars of psychoanalytic studies and to readers interested in how modern clinicians interpret Freud’s work.
On Freud’s “Neurosis and Psychosis” and “The Loss of Reality in Neurosis and Psychosis”: 100 Years Later (The International Psychoanalytical Association Contemporary Freud Turning Points and Critical Issues Series)
On Freud’s “Neurosis and Psychosis” and “The Loss of Reality in Neurosis and Psychosis” explores these two key papers on the topics of psychosis and neurosis and their relationship to the unconscious and to reality.The contributors to this book approach these texts from both a historical and a contemporary point of view, highlighting their fundamental contributions and comparing Freud’s thoughts with modern psychoanalytic theory. The chapters demonstrate the ongoing richness of Freud’s work and his legacy by highlighting new ideas and developments and include both clinical vignettes and theoretical insight. The contributors also raise questions that deserve further study, about the understanding and treatment of psychosis in children, distinctions and similarities between autism and psychosis, and the way in which aspects of our rapidly changing world – social media, climate change, AI - influence the evolution of psychotic states.On Freud’s “Neurosis and Psychosis” and “The Loss of Reality in Neurosis and Psychosis” will be essential reading for psychoanalysts and psychoanalytically oriented clinicians in practice and in training. It will also be of interest to academics and scholars of psychoanalytic studies and to readers interested in how modern clinicians interpret Freud’s work.
Coming of Age: How Adolescence Shapes Us
by Lucy FoulkesAdolescence is the most formative yet misunderstood period of our lives. At a time of heightened concern about teenagers, Coming of Age draws on a decade of expert research to get beneath the stereotypes, expose the myths and reveal the important reasons why teens behave the way they do.'Wonderful and deeply moving . . . shows us the potentially positive aspects of adolescent experiences so often seen as negative' MARK HADDON'Excellent and insightful . . . expertly presented . . . Foulkes is steeped in knowledge about, as well as respect for, teenage life' ObserverCovering all the characteristic behaviours of adolescents - from peer pressure and risk-taking, to sex, love, bullying, friendship and more - adolescent psychologist Lucy Foulkes shows that time and again we mistake, dismiss and even try to prevent what is actually normal and healthy. Among many surprising insights, she explains why self-consciousness, anxiety and sensation-seeking are crucial features of this developmental phase. She shows that teenagers are socially conservative as much as rebellious, and that apparent recklessness is usually calculated. She reveals why being popular can be just as hard as being lonely, and why friendships at this age shape us for life.Adolescence is often difficult, sometimes extremely so, and most of us have yet to come to terms with our own. And yet Foulkes shows that adolescents have an extraordinary capacity for resilience, empathy and mutual support, and that even the most challenging experiences are part of an essential process of self-discovery. This is why understanding adolescence is the key to understanding ourselves.‘Wise and compassionate, well-researched and straight-talking . . . shows how today's adolescents can be helped to flourish in life’ Dr Gavin Francis, author of Recovery‘Hopeful, inspiring . . . leaves you with a greater understanding of your own adolescence, and greater compassion for those currently in its throes’ Camilla Nord, author of The Balanced Brain'Myth-busting . . . eye-opening . . . delivers many counter-intuitive insights' Guardian‘A must read for everyone interested in what is going on with adolescents’ Essi Viding, Professor of Developmental Pyschopathy, UCL‘Compelling, useful and fascinating . . . revealing adolescence's unwritten rules’ JO BRAND‘Comprehensive, accessible and super useful’ Dr Tara Porter, clinical psychologist and author of You Don't Understand Me
rTMS-Behandlung bei Depressionen: Ein praktischer Leitfaden
by Z. Jeff Daskalakis Paul B. FitzgeraldDie Behandlung mit repetitiver transkranieller Magnetstimulation (rTMS) wird zunehmend zum Standard bei der Behandlung von Patienten mit Depressionen, unterstützt durch eine rasch wachsende Forschungsbasis. Dieser prägnante klinische Leitfaden dient als Nachschlagewerk und praktisches Werkzeug für Kliniker, die mit dieser Behandlungstechnik arbeiten oder sie kennenlernen möchten. Die einleitenden Kapitel enthalten grundlegende Informationen über die Geschichte und Entwicklung der rTMS-Behandlung und ihren Wirkmechanismus. Die Anwendung der Behandlung bei Depressionen wird dann im Detail behandelt, wobei die Evidenzbasis erläutert und eine Vielzahl klinischer Fragen erörtert wird. Die Nebenwirkungen der Behandlung werden diskutiert, und die Einrichtung von rTMS-Behandlungsprogrammen wird erklärt. Es gibt einen aktualisierten Überblick über den Einsatz von rTMS-Anwendungen bei anderen psychiatrischen Erkrankungen wie Zwangsstörungen. Weitere Kapitel befassen sich mit dem Einsatzvon tiefer TMS, Theta-Burst-Stimulation, beschleunigten Formen der rTMS und was bei Patienten zu tun ist, die nicht auf die erste Therapie ansprechen. Darüber hinaus werden die verschiedenen Ansätze für eine zielgerichtete Behandlung im Detail dargestellt. Dieses Buch vermittelt dem rTMS-Praktiker und jedem Interessierten eine aktuelle und umfassende Übersicht und bietet umfangreiche praktische klinische Ratschläge.
Reimagining Mental Health and Addiction Under the Covid-19 Pandemic, Volume 3: The Covid-19 Pandemic, Mental Health, and Colonialism (Advances in Mental Health and Addiction)
by Dionisio Nyaga Rose Ann TorresThis edited collection is a follow-up to Algoma University's inaugural conference on mental health and addiction held at the Brampton campus in Ontario, Canada. We live in a society where many marginalized communities continue to bear a historically disproportionate burden on their psychological, mental, and economic well-being, especially under the Covid-19 pandemic. Covid-19 has had a continuing impact on marginalized and racialized communities at all levels. We are now witnessing the compounded effects in the form of a worsening mental health and addiction crisis and its subsequent impact on children's education, service delivery, and overall psychosocial well-being.Covid-19 has widened the gap and increased poverty disparities between high-income and low-income individuals. Furthermore, it has affected the psychosocial resilience of people. As communities of scholars, practitioners, and researchers, we have a responsibility to address these existential issues in ways that are ethical and transformative. This type of engagement should help mitigate the consequences of the pandemic in an intersectional manner. These conversations should assist us in understanding and addressing the trauma and suffering that marginalized communities and individuals continue to endure. Together, we can work to find answers to mental health and addiction challenges, while valuing people's histories and realities within this intersectional engagement.This book aims to redefine psychiatric discourse in the age of the pandemic and encourage us to imagine how the world can be reformed in ways that are both ethical and political. It has the potential to shed light on the values and realities of communities in discussions of medical sociology, particularly concerning the impact of Covid-19 on marginalized communities.This book is structured into three volumes. Volume one delves into the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of various ethnic groups. Volume two specifically addresses the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of Afro-Black individuals. Volume three explores the connections between the COVID-19 pandemic, psychological well-being, and colonialism.
50 Things You Can Do Today to Manage Stress (Personal Health Guides)
by Wendy GreenIn this reassuring and easy-to-follow book, find out 50 things you can do to help you manage stress, such as identifying your stress triggers and learning how to manage them, choosing beneficial foods and supplements, and reducing stress through aromatherapy and therapeutic massage.
Answer to Jung: Making Sense of 'The Red Book'
by Lynn BrunetThe Red Book is C.G. Jung’s record of a period of deep penetration into his unconscious mind in a process that he called ‘active imagination’, undertaken during his mid-life period. Answer to Jung: Making Sense of ‘The Red Book’ provides a close reading of this magnificent yet perplexing text and its fascinating images, and demonstrates that the fantasies in The Red Book are not entirely original, but that their plots, characters and symbolism are remarkably similar to some of the higher degree rituals of Continental Freemasonry. It argues that the fantasies may be memories of a series of terrifying initiatory ordeals, possibly undergone in childhood, using altered or spurious versions of these Masonic rites. It then compares these initiatory scenarios with accounts of ritual trauma that have been reported since the 1980s. This is the first full-length study of The Red Book to focus on the fantasies themselves and provide such an external explanation for them.Sonu Shamdasani describes The Red Book as an incomplete task that Jung left to posterity as a ‘message in a bottle’ that would someday come ashore. Answer to Jung brings its message to shore, providing a coherent, but disturbing, interpretation of each of the fantasies and their accompanying images.Chapters: Chapter 4 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons [Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND)] 4.0 license.
Becoming an Effective Family Therapist: Research, Practice, and Case Stories
by Peter RoberThis book explores the link between the effectiveness of the family therapist and the complexity of the therapeutic relationship.For family therapists the therapeutic alliance is complex because there are different family members and the therapist must have an empathic relationship with each of them. Furthermore, the therapist is focused on facilitating the development of trust between the family members. The book highlights the family therapist, not as an interventionist, but as someone who is focused on establishing a good relationship with different family members. Centering the person of the therapist, this book includes research, theory, as well as case studies exploring topics such as the therapist’s emotion regulation, the therapist’s inner dialogue, and dealing with client feedback. Rober offers an empathetic perspective and accessible framework for family therapists, encouraging readers to use their intuition and self-supervision to build better awareness and stronger connections in the session.This book is essential for beginning and seasoned family therapists, systemic therapists, and graduate students.
Child Psychology: Pathways to Good Practice
by Anna Picciotto Helen Pote Clare NorrisAn inclusive guide to developing confidence and competence in daily practice Attending to the psychological needs of children in distress is an enormously challenging and rewarding endeavour. Successful clinical child psychologists are both practitioners and scientists, integrating the application of existing theory, current knowledge, and evidence-based research into their practice. In Child Psychology: Pathways to Good Practice, a highly experienced team of clinicians and researchers provides effective treatment practices and toolkits to assist in custom-tailoring therapies for young patients. Concise chapters address a broad range of conditions, from behavioural and emotional difficulties to issues related to neurodivergence and intellectual disabilities. Drawing upon the most recent evidence and therapeutic models, this authoritative guide offers practical, hands-on discussion of all aspects of the child psychological practice, including assessment and formulation, legal and professional issues, service delivery, collaboration, digital mental health, trauma-informed practice, working in schools and social care, and more. Edited by leaders in the field, Child Psychology: Pathways to Good Practice is a must-have for any clinical practitioner specialising in child or adolescent psychology. It is also a valuable resource for advanced students, trainees, and researchers with an interest in the clinical aspects of children’s mental health.
The Psychology Behind Design: A Marketing Perspective
by Chris Baumann Jeongmin Lee Wujin ChuThis book explains the psychology theory behind design using plain language. The inspiration came from the "democratic design" philosophy of IKEA. This book attempts to help people enjoy designs more, by explaining consumer psychology that lurks behind designs of everyday things. Another purpose of the book is to aid designers and marketers in understanding consumer behavior and to help them leverage this knowledge in their respective fields. Marketers and designers often find it hard to communicate effectively due to their disparate fields. However, this book aims to bridge this gap by showing that activities in both design and marketing can be better understood through the lens of design psychology, promoting better communication and collaboration. Although the book contains more than a hundred psychology theories that can affect design, it is structured in a reader-friendly manner, and chapters are segmented such that each chapter contains about 7~15 theories. Despite the large amount of academic research behind the theories, the application of these theories comes from commonplace consumer behaviors and daily design examples, promising an easy, relatable read.
Pediatric Nonadherence: A Solutions Based Approach
by Peter Silver Victor Fornari Ida DancygerNonadherence to pediatric recommendations is a pervasive challenge to the growth, development, and wellbeing of children. Nearly half of all youth and their parents suffer the consequences of misunderstanding, forgetting, ignoring or refusing professional medical advice regarding children. Addressing this widespread dilemma, this unique and comprehensive title explores a variety of different pediatric problems that impact children, adolescents and their families. Clinical case vignettes are provided to highlight particular considerations, and a description of the most up-to-date strategies to solve the dilemma of nonadherence to pediatric care is provided. Indeed, technology is emphasized as an important and innovative means of tracking, interfacing and gathering individual data and facilitating improved pediatric adherence. No one intervention strategy can be applied to solve nonadherence of pediatric patients. Research studies have concluded that successful efforts to enhance adherence rely on a number of important elements. First and foremost is nurturing a trusting relationship between the patient, the family and the clinician, which strengthens the therapeutic alliance. Following that is making sure that the patient and family fully understand the nature of the illness and the recommendations. Effective and clear communication is critical between the health professionals, the patient and the family. When the health professional understands who the patient and the family are on a deeper level, then adherence may be improved. It is imperative that the clinicians take into account the individual patient and families’ cultural, social and community context, as well as their beliefs and support systems. An atmosphere of shared collaboration and mutual respect will improve open communication and the promotion of adherence and positive outcomes. An important thread throughout each chapter is the impact of health care disparities, diversity and equity. The contributors to Pediatric Nonadherence represent a wide range of nationally and internationally recognized experts in their area of pediatric sub-specialization and practice. A major contribution to the clinical literature, this timely title will be of great interest to pediatricians, family practitioners, medical students, residents, fellows, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners.
The Mind Possessed: The Cognition of Spirit Possession in an Afro-Brazilian Religious Tradition
by Emma CohenThe cognitive science of religion has made a persuasive case for the view that a number of different psychological systems are involved in the construction and transmission of notions of extranatural agency such as deities and spirits. Until now this work has been based largely on findings in experimental psychology, illustrated mainly with hypothetical or anecdotal examples. In The Mind Possessed, Emma Cohen considers how the psychological systems undergirding spirit concepts are activated in real-world settings. Spirit possession practices have long had a magnetizing effect on academic researchers but there have been few, if any, satisfactory theoretical treatments of spirit possession that attempt to account for its emergence and spread globally. Drawing on ethnographic data collected during eighteen months of fieldwork in Bel?m, northern Brazil, Cohen combines fine-grained descriptions and analyses of mediumistic activities in an Afro-Brazilian cult house with a scientifically-grounded explanation for the emergence and spread of ideas about spirits, possession and healing. Cohen shows why spirit possession and its associated activities are inherently attention-grabbing. Making a radical departure from traditional anthropological, medicalist and sociological analyses, she argues that a cognitive approach offers more precise and testable hypotheses concerning the spread and appeal of spirit concepts and possession activities. This timely book presents new lines of enquiry for the cognitive science of religion (a rapidly growing field of interdisciplinary scholarship) and challenges the theoretical frameworks within which spirit possession practices have traditionally been understood.
Conscious Will and Responsibility: A Tribute to Benjamin Libet
by Walter Sinnott-Armstrong & Lynn NadelWe all seem to think that we do the acts we do because we consciously choose to do them. This commonsense view is thrown into dispute by Benjamin Libet's eyebrow-raising experiments, which seem to suggest that conscious will occurs not before but after the start of brain activity that produces physical action. Libet's striking results are often claimed to undermine traditional views of free will and moral responsibility and to have practical implications for criminal justice. His work has also stimulated a flurry of further fascinating scientific research--including findings in psychology by Dan Wegner and in neuroscience by John-Dylan Haynes--that raises novel questions about whether conscious will plays any causal role in action. Critics respond that both commonsense views of action and traditional theories of moral and legal responsibility, as well as free will, can survive the scientific onslaught of Libet and his progeny. To further this lively debate, Walter Sinnott-Armstrong and Lynn Nadel have brought together prominent experts in neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, and law to discuss whether our conscious choices really cause our actions, and what the answers to that question mean for how we view ourselves and how we should treat each other.
The Cognitive and Neural Bases of Spatial Neglect
Spatial neglect is a disorder of space-related behaviour. It is characterized by failure to explore the side of space contralateral to a brain lesion, or to react or respond to stimuli or subjects located on this side. Research on spatial neglect and related disorders has developed rapidly in recent years. These advances have been made as a result of neuropsychological studies of patients with brain damage, behavioural studies of animal models, as well as through functional neurophysiological experiments and functional neuroimaging. The Cognitive and Neural Bases of Spatial Neglect provides an overview of this wide-ranging field of scientific endeavour, providing a cohesive synthesis of the most recent observations and results. As well as being a fascinating clinical phenomenon, the study of spatial neglect helps us to understand normal mechanisms of directing and maintaining spatial attention and is relevant to the contemporary search for the cerebral correlates of conscious experience, voluntary action and the nature of personal identity itself. The book is divided into seven sections covering the anatomical and neurophysiological bases of the disorder, frameworks of neglect, perceptual and motor factors, the relation to attention, the cognitive processes involved, and strategies for rehabilitation. Chapters have been written by a team of the leading international experts in this field. This will be essential reading for neuropsychologists, neurologists, neurophysiologists, cognitive neuroscientists and psychologists.
Colour Perception: Mind and the physical world
Colour has long been a source of fascination to both scientists and philosophers. In one sense, colours are in the mind of the beholder, in another sense they belong to the external world. Colours appear to lie on the boundary where we have divided the world into 'objective' and 'subjective' events. They represent, more than any other attribute of our visual experience, a place where both physical and mental properties are interwoven in an intimate and enigmatic way. The last few decades have brought fascinating changes in the way that we think about 'colour' and the role 'colour' plays in our perceptual architecture. In Colour Perception: Mind and the physical world, leading scholars from cognitive psychology, philosophy, neurophysiology, and computational vision provide an overview of the contemporary developments in our understanding of colours and of the relationship between the 'mental' and the 'physical'. With each chapter followed by critical commentaries, the volume presents a lively and accessible picture of the intellectual traditions which have shaped research into colour perception. Written in a non-technical style and accessible to an interdisciplinary audience, the book will provide an invaluable resource for researchers in colour perception and the cognitive sciences.
Are We Free? Psychology and Free Will
by John Baer, James C. Kaufman, Roy F. BaumeisterDo people have free will, or this universal belief an illusion? If free will is more than an illusion, what kind of free will do people have? How can free will influence behavior? Can free will be studied, verified, and understood scientifically? How and why might a sense of free will have evolved? These are a few of the questions this book attempts to answer. People generally act as though they believe in their own free will: they don't feel like automatons, and they don't treat one another as they might treat robots. While acknowledging many constraints and influences on behavior, people nonetheless act as if they (and their neighbors) are largely in control of many if not most of the decisions they make. Belief in free will also underpins the sense that people are responsible for their actions. Psychological explanations of behavior rarely mention free will as a factor, however. Can psychological science find room for free will? How do leading psychologists conceptualize free will, and what role do they believe free will plays in shaping behavior? In recent years a number of psychologists have tried to solve one or more of the puzzles surrounding free will. This book looks both at recent experimental and theoretical work directly related to free will and at ways leading psychologists from all branches of psychology deal with the philosophical problems long associated with the question of free will, such as the relationship between determinism and free will and the importance of consciousness in free will. It also includes commentaries by leading philosophers on what psychologists can contribute to long-running philosophical struggles with this most distinctly human belief. These essays should be of interest not only to social scientists, but to intelligent and thoughtful readers everywhere.