Handbook of Self-Concept

Ofrelatedinterest...SOCIALORIGINSOFMENTALABILITY—GaryCollierThisvolumeisthefirstcomprehensive,systematicsurveyofresearchintothenon-hereditaryinfluencesonintelligence.Focusingonthecultural,environmental,andsocialinfluencesonthedevelopmentofmentalabilities,Dr.Collierhelpstoadvancethenurturesideofthe"naturevs.nurture"debate.Healsooffersaviablesynthesisofsupportingfactsandideasfromtheworldsofpsychology,thepsychologyofpersonality,andcognitivepsychology.Thisbookwillhaveaprofoundinfluenceuponacademe,thepsychologicalcommunity,educators,andpolicymakers.1993(0-471-30407-7)320pp.EGODEFENSES:TheoryandMeasurement—EditedbyHopeR.ConteandRobertPlutchikThisbookexploresthenatureandmanifestationsofdefensemechanismsandtracesegodefensetheoryandresearchfromFreud'sinitialconceptualizationthroughrecentworkinobject-relationstheoryandotherpsychoanalyticallyorientedapproaches.Itprovidesclinicalguidelinesfordiagnosing,assessing,anddealingwithdefenses,reviewsempiricalresearchtechniques,andindicatestheirvalueindevelopmentandinpsychotherapy.Thisvolumeshouldbeofvaluetotheoreticians,clinicians,andresearchersinterestedinfindingappropriatetoolsformeasurementofdefensemechanisms.1994(0-471-05233-7)352pp.ATHEORYOFPERSONALITYDEVELOPMENT—LucianoL'AbatewithCharlesH.BrysonLucianoL'Abate'stheoriesarerootedinsocialinteractionsandlifeexperiences,unlikethemoretraditional,somewhatmetaphysicaltheoriesofpersonalitydevelopment.Inthisgroundbreakingwork,hebringstolighttheheartofhistheory,thattheabilitytoloveandtonegotiatearethesinequanonofpersonalcompetence,withthefamilyasthemajordeterminantofboth.Thisbookisessentialreadingforpersonalityresearchers,students,andallpsychologistsinclinical,developmental,abnormal,andsocialpsychology.1993(0-471-30303-8)336pp.HandbookofSelf-Concept"Ifwecouldseeourselvesasothersseeus,wewouldvanishonthespot."—E.M.CioranItisoneofthemostintimateofrealitiesandtheslipperiestofabstractions.ForSartreitwasadoublenegativeandforB.F.Skinner,asetoflearnedresponses.AmongexponentsofartificialintelligenceitistheOzattheendoftherainbow,whileforVoltaireitwasanunavoidablepathology.And,eversinceWilliamJamesfirstidentifiedconsciousnessofselfasadiscretepsychologicalphenomenon,morethanacenturyago,ithasbeenthesourceofintensespeculationanddebateamongpsychologists.Inthepasttwentyyearsalone,over11,000studieshavebeenconductedonvariousaspectsofself-concept.Muchprogresshasbeenmade,andageneralconsensushasbeenreachedaboutmanyofitsaspects,yet,manyfundamentalquestionsremainunanswered,suchas:Whatexactlydowemeanwhenwesay"self"?Isself-conceptanaspectofabroadercognitiveself-system,orisitbestdefinedinbehavioralterms?Howvaluableisself-concepttoclinicalpractice?Whatrolesdoage,race,gender,andsocioculturalvariablesplayinself-concept?Bringingtogethercontributionsfromleadingresearchersandcliniciansfromabroadrangeofpsychologicaldisciplines,thisbookprovidesanswerstotheseandotherimportantquestionsconcerningself-concept.Itexploresalltheoreticalandappliedaspectsofself-concept,offeringabalancedsynthesisofthevastbodyofinformationonthesubjectthathasaccumulatedsincethe1970s.Chaptersaddresseachofthesixprimaryself-conceptdomains(competence,social,affect,academic,family,andphysical)withanemphasisontheclinicalsignificanceofeach.Inthechapteronclinicalassessment,existingself-conceptscalesaresubjectedtoin-depthquantitativeandqualitativereview,andreadersareprovidedwithstandardizedtablesfororganizingtheprincipalcharacteristicsreviewedandcomparingindividualtestresults.Intheconcludingchapter,Dr.Brackendescribestheclinicalapplicationsofamultidimensional,context-dependentmodelthatfacilitatesthesynthesisofinformationacrossinstruments(includingmorethan70psychoeducationaltestsandscalesprovidedinanappendix)andinformants.Providingpracticalanswerstomanyofthemostimportantquestionsaboutself-concept,HandbookofSelf-Conceptisessentialreadingforpersonalitypsychologistsaswellasresearchersandeducatorsindevelopmental,clinical,andsocialpsychology.