Raymond Bergner, Keith Davis, Fernand Lubuguin, Wynn Scwartz (Eds.) / Published December, 2013 / Hardcover
Part 1: Worlds
The four chapters in this section center in various ways around the Descriptive Psychological concept of "worlds". They explore ideas regarding such matters as the core concept of "the real world", of knowledge of this world, of the worlds of individual persons, and of applications of worlds thinking to understanding dreams and the clinical treatment of suicidal persons. In this introduction, we present brief sketches of the four chapters in order to orient the reader to the ideas of each of their authors.
Part 2: Leadership, Conflict, and Community Change
The three papers in this section all revolve around crucial issues in the stability and change of communities, placing the role of leadership as a central aspect of how such changes evolve and what the ultimate outcomes are for community members. A brief historical note is important here. The concept of community has been a central resource since the founding of the Descriptive Psychological articulation of the Person concept (Putman, 1981; Ossorio, 1982/1983). It was initially given a parametric analysis in which the seven parameters were: members, practices, statuses, concepts, locutions, choice principles, and worlds. The relationship of community as a concept to culture was specified by the same parameters except that the notion of choice principles was given additional prominence and the parameters of concepts and locutions were folded into a larger concept of languages.
Part 3: Selected Topics
The final section of this volume addresses a miscellany of topics. Most are related and applicable to the practice of clinical psychology. Although the comprehensive intellectual discipline of Descriptive Psychology (DP) can be applied to a wide range of interests, real-world human problems and disciplines (as reflected by the content of previous volumes), the clinical applications are perhaps the most broadly practical in nature. In this connection, this section examines trauma concepts, therapeutic policies, empathy, romantic love, and the relationship between masculinity and intimate partner violence. The sixth chapter addresses some conceptual and logical matters relevant to acquiring greater clarity in the understanding of DP’s core Person Concept.