Social Psychology Arena - New Titles

Media, Gender and Identity

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 18:18:18 GMT

Media, Gender and Identity

An introduction

By David Gauntlett, Professor David Gauntlett

Popular media present a vast array of stories about women and men. What impact do these images and ideas have on people�s identities?

The new edition of Media, Gender and Identity is a highly readable introduction to the relationship between media and gender identities today. Fully revised and updated, including new case studies and a new chapter, it considers a wide range of research and provides new ways for thinking about the media�s influence on gender and sexuality.

David Gauntlett discusses movies such as Knocked Up and Spiderman 3, men�s and women�s magazines, TV shows, self-help books, YouTube videos, and more, to show how the media play a role in the shaping of individual self-identities.

The book includes:

A comparison of gender representations in the past and today, from James Bond to Ugly Betty
An introduction to key theorists such as Judith Butler, Anthony Giddens and Michel Foucault
An outline of creative approaches, where identities are explored with video, drawing, or Lego bricks
A website with extra articles, interviews and selected links, at www.theoryhead.com

ISBN: 9780415396608

Published March 18 2008 by Routledge.

Body Image

Thu, 26 Jul 2007 26:26:26 GMT

Body Image

Understanding Body Dissatisfaction in Men, Women, and Children

By Sarah Grogan

Sarah Grogan provides a comprehensive overview of the subject of body image, pulling together diverse research from the fields of psychology, sociology, media, and gender studies in men, women, and children.

This second edition has been thoroughly revised and updated to reflect the significant increase in research on body image since the first edition was published, including new empirical data collected specifically for this text. In addition to examining evidence for sociocultural influences on body image, the book also reviews recent literature and includes new findings on body modification practices (cosmetic surgery, piercing, tattooing, and bodybuilding). It takes a critical look at interventions designed to promote positive body image and also attempts to link body image to physical health, looking in particular at motivations for potentially health-damaging practices such as anabolic steroid use and cosmetic surgery.

The only text to date that examines the issue of body image, focusing on men and children as well as women, Body Image will be invaluable to students and researchers in the area as well as those with an interest in how to promote positive body image.

ISBN: 9780415358224

Published July 26 2007 by Routledge.

Identity In Adolescence

Thu, 21 Oct 2004 21:21:21 GMT

Identity In Adolescence

By Jane Kroger

Fully updated to include the most recent research and theoretical developments in the field, the third edition of Identity in Adolescence examines the two way interaction of individual and social context in the process of identity formation. Setting the developmental tradition in context, Jane Kroger begins by providing a brief overview of the theoretical approaches to adolescent identity formation currently in use. This is followed by a discussion of five developmental models which reflect a range of attempts from the oldest to among the most recent efforts to describe this process and include the work of Erik Erikson, Peter Blos, Lawrence Kohlberg, Jane Loevinger, and Robert Kegan. Although focussing on each theorist in turn, this volume also goes on to compare and integrate the varied theoretical models and research findings and sets out some of the practical implications for social response to adolescents. Different social and cultural conditions and their effect on the identity formation process are also covered as are contemporary contextual, narrative, and postmodern approaches to understanding and researching identity issues.

ISBN: 9780415281065

Published October 21 2004 by Routledge.

Social Identity

Thu, 13 May 2004 13:13:13 GMT

Social Identity

By Richard Jenkins

Without social identity there is no human world. Without frameworks of similarity and difference, people would be unable to relate to each other in a consistent and meaningful fashion. In the second edition of this highly successful text, Richard Jenkins develops his argument that identity is both individual and collective, and should therefore be considered within one analytic framework. Using the work of major social theorists, such as Mead Goffman and Barthes, to explore the experience of identity in everyday life, Jenkins considers a range of different issues, including:

embodiment
categorization and boundaries
the institutionalizing of identities
identity and modernity.

Written in an open and student-friendly style throughout, this multidisciplinary text has been thoroughly revised and updated, and is essential reading for all students interested in the concept of identity in the contemporary world.

ISBN: 9780415340960

Published May 13 2004 by Routledge.

Rival Truths

Thu, 08 May 2003 08:08:08 GMT

Rival Truths

Common Sense and Social Psychological Explanations in Health and Illness

By Lindsay S. Claire

It is common sense that our survival as individuals depends on the survival of our physical bodies. However, common sense has been medicalised. Terms such as 'road rage' and 'premenstrual syndrome' sound like medical problems and suggest that it is affected individuals, rather than experiences or circumstances that require treatment.
Without denying their importance, Rival Truths challenges four basic common sense views of health and illness and offers rival social psychological explanations. The primacy of biological facts is challenged by looking at the effects of social psychological influences, such as those mediated by stress. The assumption that medical practices are scientific is challenged by evidence that they also reflect and recreate social constructions. The assumption that medical advances are the most effective way to combat disease is questioned as their success may rely on changes in beliefs or behaviour, and finally, critical analyses suggest that medical treatment can sometimes be to the disadvantage of patients.
Lindsay St. Claire has helped to raise awareness that health problems might be caused by social arrangements, not biological dysfunction. Thus, social psychology might suggest new ways to enhance health status which do not depend on medical breakthroughs. This book will be of interest for health psychology students, medical students and anyone involved in caring professions.

ISBN: 9780415188586

Published May 08 2003 by Psychology Press.

The Psychological Development of Girls and Women

Thu, 21 Nov 2002 21:21:21 GMT

The Psychological Development of Girls and Women

Rethinking Change in Time

By Sheila Greene

In this book, Sheila Greene presents a challenging new perspective on the psychological development of girls and women which emphasises the central role of time in human development. She critically reviews traditional and contemporary theoretical approaches - ranging from orthodox psychoanalysis to relational and post-modern theories - and argues that even those claiming to be focused on development have presented a view of women's lives as fixed and determined by their nature or their past. These theories, she believes, should be rejected because of their inherent lack of validity and their frequently oppressive implications for women.
Greene's approach places primary importance on temporality itself and on the competing discourses on time, age and development which play an active role in the construction of the lives of girls and women. Essential but often neglected insights from the more compelling developmental and feminist theories are woven together within a theoretical framework that emphasises temporality, emergence and human agency. The result is a liberating theory of women's psychological development as constantly emerging and changing in time rather than as static and fixed by their nature, socio-cultural context and personal history.
The Psychological Development of Girls and Women will be essential reading for students and researchers in the psychology of women, developmental psychology and women's studies.

ISBN: 9780415178617

Published November 21 2002 by Routledge.

Gender, Language and Discourse

Thu, 01 Aug 2002 01:01:01 GMT

Gender, Language and Discourse

By Ann Weatherall

Is language sexist? Do women and men speak different languages?
Gender, Language and Discourse uniquely examines the contribution that psychological research - in particular, discursive psychology - has made to answering these questions. Until now, books on gender and language have tended to be from the sociolinguistic perspective and have focused on one of two issues - sexism in language or gender differences in speech. This book considers both issues and develops the idea that they shouldn't be viewed as mutually exclusive endeavours but rather as part of the same process - the social construction of gender. Ann Weatherall highlights the fresh insights that a social constructionist approach has made to these debates, and presents recent theoretical developments and empirical work in discursive psychology relevant to gender and language.
Gender, Language and Discourse provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date discussion of the gender and language field from a psychological perspective. It will be invaluable to students and researchers in social psychology, cultural studies, education, linguistic anthropology and women's studies.

ISBN: 9780415169059

Published August 01 2002 by Routledge.

The Psychology of Culture Shock

Fri, 30 Mar 2001 30:30:30 GMT

The Psychology of Culture Shock

By Colleen Ward, Stephen Bochner, Adrian Furnham

Crossing cultures can be a stimulating and rewarding adventure. It can also be a stressful and bewildering experience. This thoroughly revised and updated edition of Furnham and Bochner's classic Culture Shock (1986) examines the psychological and social processes involved in intercultural contact, including learning new culture specific skills, managing stress and coping with an unfamiliar environment, changing cultural identities and enhancing intergroup relations.
The book describes the ABCs of intercultural encounters, highlighting Effective, Behavioural and Cognitive components of cross-cultural experience. It incorporates both theoretical and applied perspectives on culture shock and a comprehensive review of empirical research on a variety of cross-cultural travellers, such as tourists, students, business travellers, immigrants and refugees. Minimising the adverse effects of culture shock, facilitating positive msychological outcomes and discussion of selection and training techniques for living and working abroad represent some of the practical issues covered.
The Psychology of Culture Shock will provide an essential reference and textbook for courses within psychology, sociology and business training. It will also be a valuable resource for professionals working with culturally diverse populations and acculturating groups such as international students immigrants or refugees.

ISBN: 9780415162340

Published March 30 2001 by Routledge.

The Implicit Relation of Psychology and Law

Thu, 29 Jun 2000 29:29:29 GMT

The Implicit Relation of Psychology and Law

Women and Syndrome Evidence

By Fiona Raitt, Suzanne Zeedyk

From a feminist perspective, the authors critically review the current use of psychology in law and identify a powerful collusion between the two fields which works actively against the interests of women. They provide support for their argument in such areas as child abuse, domestic violence, rape and abortion.

This groundbreaking international text draws on both research findings and case material from various countries including Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa as well as the USA and Great Britain.

The Implicit Relation of Psychology and Law brings an innovative, feminist analysis to these affiliated fields. Fiona E. Raitt and M. Suzanne Zeedyk explore the role of psychological syndromes (i.e. Battered Woman's Syndrome, Rape Trauma Syndrome, Pre-menstrual Syndrome and False Memory Syndrome) within the courtrooms of the UK and the US. In addition to the explicit relationship between the two fields, they argue that there is an unrecognised implicit relation existing within the intersection of psychology and law, which they find works to the disadvantage of women.
Both novel and controversial and written in an accessible style, The Implicit Relation of Psychology and Law will engage readers from a wide range of disciplines including: psychology, law, critical theory, criminology and women's studies.

ISBN: 9780415147828

Published June 29 2000 by Routledge.

Psychology of the Image

Thu, 04 May 2000 04:04:04 GMT

Psychology of the Image

By Michael Forrester

Psychology of the Image outlines a theoretical framework bringing together the semiotic concepts developed by Charles Peirce, the sociological insights of Ervin Goffman and the psychoanalytic ideas of Jacques Lacan. Image studies in fashion, advertising, photography, film studies and psychology have been influenced by these theorists in significant ways. The framework presented helps the reader understand how these ideas relate to the study of different domains of the image: the internal imagery of dreams, external images such as the photograph and image processes which span both contexts, e.g., images we have about ourselves. The topics discussed are organised into three themes. The first considers mental imagery, including sound and dreams. The second addresses the interdependent nature of internal and external images, e.g., the gendered self and social identity. In the third theme, attention turns to external images including television, film, photography, the computer and the internet. Psychology of the Image will be of interest to undergraduates, postgraduates, lecturers and researchers in the fields of psychology, media studies and sociology.

ISBN: 9780415165150

Published May 04 2000 by Routledge.