Ivana Marková – Författare

The theory of social knowledge developed in this book is based on dialogicality and the theory of social representations. It is argued that dialogicality, the capacity of the human mind to conceive, create and communicate about social realities in terms of, or in opposition to, otherness, is the sine qua non of the human mind. Social representations are sharply distinguished from mental and collective representations. Being embedded in history and culture, social representations manifest themselves in public discourses and social thinking about phenomena, which touch in some fundamental ways upon social realities, e.g. political, ecological or health related. The theory of social representations places communication and the concept of change in the centre of social psychology. Ivana Marková's book is unique in bringing together the concept of dialogue and social knowledge and will make an important contribution to social psychology, social and human sciences and communication studies.

The theory of social knowledge developed in this book is based on dialogicality and the theory of social representations. It is argued that dialogicality, the capacity of the human mind to conceive, create and communicate about social realities in terms of, or in opposition to, otherness, is the sine qua non of the human mind. Social representations are sharply distinguished from mental and collective representations. Being embedded in history and culture, social representations manifest themselves in public discourses and social thinking about phenomena, which touch in some fundamental ways upon social realities, e.g. political, ecological or health related. The theory of social representations places communication and the concept of change in the centre of social psychology. Ivana Marková's book is unique in bringing together the concept of dialogue and social knowledge and will make an important contribution to social psychology, social and human sciences and communication studies.

Questions concerning the nature of insight in patients with mental illness have interested clinicians for a long time. To what extent can patients understand disorders which affect their mental function? Does insight carry a prognostic value? Is impaired insight determined by the illness or are other factors important? Despite considerable research examining insight in patients with psychoses, non-psychotic disorders and chronic organic brain syndromes, results are inconclusive and insight remains a source of some mystification. Ivana S. Marková examines the problems involved in studying insight in patients with mental illness in order to provide a clearer understanding of the factors that determine its clinical manifestation. She puts forward a new model to illustrate the relationship between different components of insight in theoretical and clinical terms, and points to directions for future research.

Creating a stimulating social theory with long-lasting influence for generations of scholars is driven by multiple interacting factors. The fortune of a theory is determined not only by the author's creative mind but also by the ways in which principal concepts are understood and interpreted. The proper understanding of a social theory requires a good grasp of major historical, political, and cultural challenges that contribute to its making. Considering these issues, Marková explores Serge Moscovici's theory of social representations and communication as a case study in the making of a dialogical social theory. She analyses both the undeveloped features and the forward-moving, inspirational highlights of the theory and presents them as a resource for linking issues and problems from diverse domains and disciplines. This dialogical approach has the potential to advance the dyad Self-Other as an irreducible intellectual, ethical, and aesthetic unit in epistemologies of the human and social sciences.

Dialogue has become a central theoretical concept in human and social sciences as well as in professions such as education, health, and psychotherapy. This 'dialogical turn' emphasises the importance of social relations and interaction to our behaviour and how we make sense of the world; hence the dialogical mind is the mind in interaction with others - with individuals, groups, institutions, and cultures in historical perspectives. Through a combination of rigorous theoretical work and empirical investigation, Marková presents an ethics of dialogicality as an alternative to the narrow perspective of individualism and cognitivism that has traditionally dominated the field of social psychology. The dialogical perspective, which focuses on interdependencies among the self and others, offers a powerful theoretical basis to comprehend, analyse, and discuss complex social issues. Marková considers the implications of dialogical epistemology both in daily life and in professional practices involving problems of communication, care, and therapy.