In this volume, Dialogical Self Theory is innovatively presented as a guide to help elucidate some of the most pressing problems of our time as they emerge at the interface of self and society. As a bridging framework at the interface of the social sciences and philosophy, Dialogical Self Theory provides a broad view of problem areas that place us in a field of tension between liberation and social imprisonment. With climate change and the coronavirus pandemic serving as wake-up calls, the book focuses on the experience of uncertainty, the disenchantment of the world, the pursuit of happiness, and the cultural limitations of the Western self-ideal. Now more than ever we need to rethink the relationship between self, other, and the natural environment, and this book uses Dialogical Self Theory to explore actual and potential responses of the self to these urgent challenges.
Instead of considering society as a social environment, Society in the Self begins from the assumption that society works in the deepest regions of self and identity, as expressed in phenomena like self-sabotage, self-radicalization, self-cure, self-government, self-nationalization, and self-internationalization. This leads to the central thesis that a democratic society can only function properly if it is populated by participants with a democratically organized self. In this book, an integrative model is presented that is inspired by three versions of democracy: cosmopolitan, deliberative, and agonistic democracy, with the latter focusing on the role of social power and emotions. Drawing on these democratic views, three levels of inclusiveness are distinguished in the self: personal (I as an individual), social (I as a member of a group), and global (I as a human being). A democratic self requires the flexibility of moving up and down across these levels of inclusiveness and has to find its way in fields of tension between the self and the other, and between dialogue and social power. As author Hubert Hermans explains, this theory has far reaching consequences for such divergent topics as leadership in the self, cultural diversity in the self, the relationship between reason and emotion, self-empathy, cooperation and competition between self-parts, and the role of social power in prejudice, enemy image construction, and scapegoating. The central message of this book is reflected in Mahatma Gandhi's dictum: "Be the change you want to see in the world.
How can an internationally recognized theory contribute towards the enrichment of your own life? In Between Dreaming and Recognition Seeking, Hubert J. M. Hermans, the creator of Dialogical Self Theory, applies this theory to his own life and explains how readers can do the same. He describes several destabilizing events from throughout his lifetime and investigates how they changed his own self. Hermans discusses such events as the breakdown of his self-esteem at school, the experience of falling in love as a “revolution” in his self, the experience of “paradise lost,” and the tensions from living in the border zone of a traditional, modern, and post-modern self. Through a series of thought-provoking questions, Hermans invites readers to explore the long-term meaning of significant events in their own lives. Between Dreaming and Recognition Seeking provides an accessible way to learn about Dialogical Self Theory and how it can be used for one’s self-development.
Inner Democracy: Empowering the Mind Against a Polarizing Society investigates the psychological backgrounds of contemporary societal problems such as hate speech, authoritarianism, and divisive forms of identity politics, and how we can counter such destructive forces. The book argues that a democratic society needs citizens who do more than just express their preference for free elections, freedom of speech, and respect of constitutional rights. Rather, democracy is vital only if it is deeply rooted in the hearts, minds, and selves of its participants. In the field of tension created by societal power clashes and absolute truth pretensions, the book investigates how opposition, cooperation, and participation work as innovative forces in a democratic self. Democracy is understood as a personal learning process and as a dialogical play between thought and counter-thought, between imagination and counter-imagination, and between emotion and reason. Written for social scientists, teachers, journalists, and parents who are interested in the facilitation of democracy in a wide variety of situations, this book proposes inner democracy as an antidote against the widespread polarization in our society.
In this book, Hubert J.M. Hermans, the creator of Dialogical Self Theory, applies this theory to his own life and explains how readers can do the same. Through a series of thought-provoking questions, he invites readers to explore the long-term meaning of significant events in their own lives.
Chapters describe how clinicians can work with what is openly discussed, and how to ascertain less conscious events and motives. A powerful clinical tool that enhances cooperation between the client and therapist, the model delineated in this volume can be used in a wide variety of settings and is easily integrated with a range of orientations. Providing complete guidelines for its clinical use, Self-Narratives is an ideal resource for psychotherapists and counselors alike. Teachers or trainers who want to educate students in self-knowledge and self-reflection will find here an ideal method for stimulating these processes.
Contemporary society needs the recognition of a moral middle ground, where human behavior can be evaluated as permissible, understandable, or even valuable. As a counterforce to polarization and divisive politics, an identity model is proposed in which individual and group identities are transcended by a human and ecological identity.
In a boundary-crossing and globalizing world, the personal and social positions in self and identity become increasingly dense, heterogeneous and even conflicting. In this handbook scholars of different disciplines, nations and cultures (East and West) bring together their views and applications of dialogical self theory in such a way that deeper commonalities are brought to the surface. As a 'bridging theory', dialogical self theory reveals unexpected links between a broad variety of phenomena, such as self and identity problems in education and psychotherapy, multicultural identities, child-rearing practices, adult development, consumer behaviour, the use of the internet and the value of silence. Researchers and practitioners present different methods of investigation, both qualitative and quantitative, and also highlight applications of dialogical self theory.
The core message of this educational book is that democracy is, more than ever before, in need of the personal contribution of engaged citizens. Democracy is viable only if it is rooted in the hearts and minds of citizens who feel responsible not only for their own well-being, but also for the quality of social relationships in a society with marked differences in race, religion, culture, and gender. Three basic features define personalized democracy: A critical attitude not only towards others but also towards oneself; learning not only from others but also from oneself; and participation in society with attention to the contradictive nature of one’s own mind. The authors emphasize that the development of personalized democracy and global citizenship requires participation at different identity levels: I as individual, we as members of social groups, we as part of humanity, and we as part of the earth. Written for future teachers at secondary level, the book contains dialogical self theory, research and a wide range of exercises.
Inner Democracy: Empowering the Mind against a Polarizing Society investigates the psychological backgrounds of contemporary societal problems such as hate speech, authoritarianism, and divisive forms of identity politics. As a response to these phenomena, this book presents the basic premise is that a democratic society needs citizens who do more than just express their preference for free elections, freedom of speech, and respect of constitutional rights. Democracy is vital only if it is rooted in the hearts and minds of its participants who are willing to plant it in the fertile soil of their own self. In the field of tension created by societal power clashes and absolute truth pretensions, the book investigates how opposition, cooperation and participation work as innovative forces in a democratic self"--
The core message of this educational book is that democracy is, more than ever before, in need of the personal contribution of engaged citizens. Democracy is viable only if it is rooted in the hearts and minds of citizens who feel responsible not only for their own well-being, but also for the quality of social relationships in a society with marked differences in race, religion, culture, and gender. Three basic features define personalized democracy: A critical attitude not only towards others but also towards oneself; learning not only from others but also from oneself; and participation in society with attention to the contradictive nature of one’s own mind. The authors emphasize that the development of personalized democracy and global citizenship requires participation at different identity levels: I as individual, we as members of social groups, we as part of humanity, and we as part of the earth. Written for future teachers at secondary level, the book contains dialogical self theory, research and a wide range of exercises.
Contemporary society needs the recognition of a moral middle ground, where human behavior can be evaluated as permissible, understandable, or even valuable. As a counterforce to polarization and divisive politics, an identity model is proposed in which individual and group identities are transcended by a human and ecological identity.
Instead of considering society as a social environment, Society in the Self begins from the assumption that society works in the deepest regions of self and identity, as expressed in phenomena like self-sabotage, self-radicalization, self-cure, self-government, self-nationalization, and self-internationalization. This leads to the central thesis that a democratic society can only function properly if it is populated by participants with a democratically organized self. In this book, an integrative model is presented that is inspired by three versions of democracy: cosmopolitan, deliberative, and agonistic democracy, with the latter focusing on the role of social power and emotions. Drawing on these democratic views, three levels of inclusiveness are distinguished in the self: personal (I as an individual), social (I as a member of a group), and global (I as a human being). A democratic self requires the flexibility of moving up and down across these levels of inclusiveness and has to find its way in fields of tension between the self and the other, and between dialogue and social power. As author Hubert Hermans explains, this theory has far reaching consequences for such divergent topics as leadership in the self, cultural diversity in the self, the relationship between reason and emotion, self-empathy, cooperation and competition between self-parts, and the role of social power in prejudice, enemy image construction, and scapegoating. The central message of this book is reflected in Mahatma Gandhi's dictum: "Be the change you want to see in the world.
Chapters describe how clinicians can work with what is openly discussed, and how to ascertain less conscious events and motives. A powerful clinical tool that enhances cooperation between the client and therapist, the model delineated in this volume can be used in a wide variety of settings and is easily integrated with a range of orientations. Providing complete guidelines for its clinical use, Self-Narratives is an ideal resource for psychotherapists and counselors alike. Teachers or trainers who want to educate students in self-knowledge and self-reflection will find here an ideal method for stimulating these processes.
In this volume, Dialogical Self Theory is innovatively presented as a guide to help elucidate some of the most pressing problems of our time as they emerge at the interface of self and society. As a bridging framework at the interface of the social sciences and philosophy, Dialogical Self Theory provides a broad view of problem areas that place us in a field of tension between liberation and social imprisonment. With climate change and the coronavirus pandemic serving as wake-up calls, the book focuses on the experience of uncertainty, the disenchantment of the world, the pursuit of happiness, and the cultural limitations of the Western self-ideal. Now more than ever we need to rethink the relationship between self, other, and the natural environment, and this book uses Dialogical Self Theory to explore actual and potential responses of the self to these urgent challenges.
How can an internationally recognized theory contribute towards the enrichment of your own life? In Between Dreaming and Recognition Seeking, Hubert J. M. Hermans, the creator of Dialogical Self Theory, applies this theory to his own life and explains how readers can do the same. He describes several destabilizing events from throughout his lifetime and investigates how they changed his own self. Hermans discusses such events as the breakdown of his self-esteem at school, the experience of falling in love as a “revolution” in his self, the experience of “paradise lost,” and the tensions from living in the border zone of a traditional, modern, and post-modern self. Through a series of thought-provoking questions, Hermans invites readers to explore the long-term meaning of significant events in their own lives. Between Dreaming and Recognition Seeking provides an accessible way to learn about Dialogical Self Theory and how it can be used for one’s self-development.
In a boundary-crossing and globalizing world, the personal and social positions in self and identity become increasingly dense, heterogeneous and even conflicting. In this handbook scholars of different disciplines, nations and cultures (East and West) bring together their views and applications of dialogical self theory in such a way that deeper commonalities are brought to the surface. As a 'bridging theory', dialogical self theory reveals unexpected links between a broad variety of phenomena, such as self and identity problems in education and psychotherapy, multicultural identities, child-rearing practices, adult development, consumer behaviour, the use of the internet and the value of silence. Researchers and practitioners present different methods of investigation, both qualitative and quantitative, and also highlight applications of dialogical self theory.
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