Brendan A. Maher – författare

Philosophy and psychopathology have more in common than philosophers, psychiatrists and clinical psychologists might think. Three fields of inquiry come to mind: (1) Questions about the scientific status of psychopatho­ logical statements and claims, (2) ethical questions, and (3) problems regarding the question of how to account for something like a disordered mind. While the first two domains have frequently been addressed in articles and debates (think of the mind-body problem and the problem of institutionalization versus self-determination as examples of issues in the two fields), the question of how the mind should be conceived in order for psychopathology to work best has seldom been discussed. The present volume focuses on this question. Perception, thought, affect, will, and the like are terms which made their way from philosophy into psychology, and into present psychiatry, where disturbances of these "faculties" or "functions" are believed to form the most basic part of symptomatology. While these terms and many others that are used to refer to symptoms of mental disorder (such as "self', "consciousness", "drive", and "identity") may seem to be purely descriptive and theoretically "innocent", they are packed with implicit assumptions, theoretical concepts, and sometimes dogmatic postulates.

Philosophy and psychopathology have more in common than philosophers, psychiatrists and clinical psychologists might think. Three fields of inquiry come to mind: (1) Questions about the scientific status of psychopatho­ logical statements and claims, (2) ethical questions, and (3) problems regarding the question of how to account for something like a disordered mind. While the first two domains have frequently been addressed in articles and debates (think of the mind-body problem and the problem of institutionalization versus self-determination as examples of issues in the two fields), the question of how the mind should be conceived in order for psychopathology to work best has seldom been discussed. The present volume focuses on this question. Perception, thought, affect, will, and the like are terms which made their way from philosophy into psychology, and into present psychiatry, where disturbances of these "faculties" or "functions" are believed to form the most basic part of symptomatology. While these terms and many others that are used to refer to symptoms of mental disorder (such as "self'', "consciousness", "drive", and "identity") may seem to be purely descriptive and theoretically "innocent", they are packed with implicit assumptions, theoretical concepts, and sometimes dogmatic postulates.

Progress in Experimental Personality Research, Volume 11: Normal Personality Processes focuses on the experimental study of normal personality, emphasizing the problems of measurement and method. This book begins with an innovative proposal for an approach to the measurement of personality, followed by an analysis of the central role that is played by the "illusory correlation effect in human assessments of the traits of other people as well as of self. The framework for the study of personality that is based on the analysis of cognitive processes and problem of measurement validity in the assessment of behavior and personality in children are also covered. This publication concludes with a description of the state of evidence bearing on the provocative model of national differences. This volume is recommended for psychologists and specialists concerned with personality processes or psychopathology.

Progress in Experimental Personality Research, Volume 13: Normal Personality Processes focuses on the theory and measurement of personality research. This book begins with a detailed analysis of theoretical and conceptual aspects of gender research, followed by a discussion of the theoretical framework for the study of action control or choice behavior that encompasses a wide range of normal human action in addition to providing a schema in which the concept of "learned helplessness might be handled. This publication concludes with a review and synthesis of data treating juvenile delinquency as a phenomenon of impression management and report on the personality correlates of chronic headache. This volume is recommended for psychologists and specialists researching on normal personality processes.

The Anatomy of Achievement Motivation focuses on the study of individual differences in motivations, including the determinants of specific motives and methods of assessing motive strength. The book first offers information on content analysis and evaluative dispositions, as well as the theory of thematic apperception method, experimental method, and sociocultural frames of references and their change over historical time. The manuscript then highlights the important dimensions of experience and conflict. The publication takes a look at the general structure of goals and performance and valence and motive arousal, including psychic distance and discrepancy between a present and a future state. The book then examines goal setting and level of aspiration, performance period, and the origin and development of achievement motivation. The manuscript is a dependable reference for psychologists and readers interested in the facets of achievement motivation.