Originally published in 1981, the inadequacies of the ‘medical model’ for the understanding and psychological treatment of neuroses were widely recognized. A number of alternative approaches had arisen in response, but most of the models were theoretical, and little experimental support was documented. One of the most pressing needs at the time was for a system of classification which could predict the behaviour of different types of neurotic patient under different treatments, and thus provide a framework for the selection of patients for small group psychotherapy and for behaviour therapy. The authors of this title develop such a framework, involving the matching of patient, therapist and treatment according to certain adjustment strategies such as ‘direction of interest’, ‘conservatism’, ‘convergent-divergent thinking’, ‘openness to inner experience’ and ‘control’. The ‘personal style’ of an individual is defined by these strategies, and by the patient’s expectations from treatment. The authors collected a considerable amount of original research material over many years, and their evidence demonstrates the fundamental importance of ‘personal style’ in treatment allocation and response. The new approach which they propose will be of interest not only to academic psychologists but to those in the mental health professions actively engaged in psychotherapy and behaviour therapy.

This book, originally published in 1972, aimed to provide a theoretical framework for group therapists to guide them through the mass of variables which beset them. Its scope therefore is extremely broad, for it also touches on philosophy, psychology, sociology, communication and general systems theory. In the last chapter certain conclusions are drawn concerning the relationship between group and psycho-dynamics. The book will be of interest to those who have already had some experience of small, medium or large groups, and who want to think about their work in more general terms: it was not at the time widely realised how radically different and how potentially powerful are the implications of group procedures, not only for therapy but in such fields as education, industry and politics. Freud recognised this when he pointed out the dilemma of having to procure for the group precisely those features which were characteristic of the individual, and which are extinguished in him by the formation of the group. Whilst the problem for the individual is the intrusion of unconscious factors, for the group it is the group’s equivalent of consciousness, namely communication and organization, which is in a quandary. The group model differs crucially from the psychological, but they may relate in the sense that, as Freud indicated, neurosis represents a recapitulation within the individual of mankind’s group history. The unconscious mind, then, is a group phenomenon. In other words, group theory turns psychoanalysis upside down and begins at the point where Freud left off, relating neurosis to its social sources. In the light of the group approach, therefore, neurosis and certain of the psychoses can be viewed as localized deposits of unresolved group experiences within the individual, whether they be past, current or an expectation of the future; a feature which makes traumatic neuroses more understandable since they cannot be explained in terms of infantile neurosis. The author suggested the possibility of a new development in group techniques, namely that of large group therapy freed of community ties or training considerations, in which attitudes and ideologies make themselves evident, not as cloudy idealistic non sequiturs but as crucial and clearly definable climates which either impede or promote communication and the flow of information.

Originally published in 1981, the inadequacies of the ‘medical model’ for the understanding and psychological treatment of neuroses were widely recognized. A number of alternative approaches had arisen in response, but most of the models were theoretical, and little experimental support was documented. One of the most pressing needs at the time was for a system of classification which could predict the behaviour of different types of neurotic patient under different treatments, and thus provide a framework for the selection of patients for small group psychotherapy and for behaviour therapy. The authors of this title develop such a framework, involving the matching of patient, therapist and treatment according to certain adjustment strategies such as ‘direction of interest’, ‘conservatism’, ‘convergent-divergent thinking’, ‘openness to inner experience’ and ‘control’. The ‘personal style’ of an individual is defined by these strategies, and by the patient’s expectations from treatment. The authors collected a considerable amount of original research material over many years, and their evidence demonstrates the fundamental importance of ‘personal style’ in treatment allocation and response. The new approach which they propose will be of interest not only to academic psychologists but to those in the mental health professions actively engaged in psychotherapy and behaviour therapy.

This welcome resource traces the evolution of self-concept clarity and brings together diverse strands of research on this important and still-developing construct. Locating self-concept clarity within current models of personality, identity, and the self, expert contributors define the construct and its critical roles in both individual and collective identity and functioning. The book examines commonly-used measures for assessing clarity, particularly in relation to the more widely understood concept of self-esteem, with recommendations for best practices in assessment. In addition, a wealth of current data highlights the links between self-concept clarity and major areas of mental wellness and dysfunction, from adaptation and leadership to body image issues and schizophrenia. Along the way, it outlines important future directions in research on self-concept clarity. Included in the coverage: Situating self-concept clarity in the landscape of personality. Development of self-concept clarity across the lifespan. Self-concept clarity and romantic relationships. Who am I and why does it matter? Linking personal identity and self-concept clarity. Consequences of self-concept clarity for well-being and motivation. Self-concept clarity and psychopathology. Self-Concept Clarity fills varied theoretical, empirical, and practical needs across mental health fields, and will enhance the work of academics, psychologists interested in the construct as an area of research, and clinicians working with clients struggling with developing and improving their self-concept clarity.

Black Skin, White Masks is a classic, devastating account of the dehumanising effects of colonisation experienced by black subjects living in a white world. First published in English in 1967, this book provides an unsurpassed study of the psychology of racism using scientific analysis and poetic grace.Franz Fanon identifies a devastating pathology at the heart of Western culture, a denial of difference, that persists to this day. A major influence on civil rights, anti-colonial, and black consciousness movements around the world, his writings speak to all who continue the struggle for political and cultural liberation.With an introduction by Paul Gilroy, author of There Ain't No Black in the Union Jack.

Provides students with a foundation of knowledge they can build on as they pursue a career in healthcare. This work is written in a user-friendly style.

This seminal study and critique of propaganda from one of the greatest French philosophers of the 20th century is as relevant today as when it was first published in 1962. Taking not only a psychological approach, but a sociological approach as well, Ellul’s book outlines the taxonomy for propaganda, and ultimately, it’s destructive nature towards democracy. Drawing from his own experiences fighting for the French resistance against the Vichy regime, Ellul offers a unique insight into the propaganda machine.

This book draws together the diverse strands of attachment theory into a coherent contemporary account. It examines the links between attachment and other central life tasks such as work, and the issues of conceptualisation and measurement.

Sacred Skin offers the first systematic evaluation of the cult of St. Bartholomew in Spain. Focusing primarily on flaying, its five chapters explore the paradoxes of hagiographic representation and their complex and ambivalent effect on the observer.