Tod Sloan

This book may be viewed as an ?antiguide? to decisionmaking. It rejects mechanical formulas and urges self-reflection and a critique of ideology. Through close readings of fifteen life history interviews, Tod Sloan creates a framework for the interpretation of dilemmas and decisions. Ultimately, we see that a life choice or turning point comprises

What are the psychological problems caused by modernization? How can we minimize its negative effects? Modernization has brought many material benefits to us, yet we are constantly told how unhappy we are: crime, divorce, suicide, depression and anxiety are rampant. How can this contradiction be reconciled? Damaged Life, originally published in 1996, presents a powerful and progressive analysis of modernity’s impact on the psyche. Tod Sloan develops an integrated theory of the self in society by combining perspectives on personality development and socio-historical processes to explore our complex response to modernization. He discusses the implications of postmodern theory for psychology and proposes concrete responses to address the issue of mass emotional suffering. His book should be read not only by those working within psychology and related disciplines such as sociology and social policy, but also by anyone seeking enlightenment about the predicament of the self in contemporary society.

What are the psychological problems caused by modernization? How can we minimize its negative effects? Modernization has brought many material benefits to us, yet we are constantly told how unhappy we are: crime, divorce, suicide, depression and anxiety are rampant. How can this contradiction be reconciled? Damaged Life, originally published in 1996, presents a powerful and progressive analysis of modernity’s impact on the psyche. Tod Sloan develops an integrated theory of the self in society by combining perspectives on personality development and socio-historical processes to explore our complex response to modernization. He discusses the implications of postmodern theory for psychology and proposes concrete responses to address the issue of mass emotional suffering. His book should be read not only by those working within psychology and related disciplines such as sociology and social policy, but also by anyone seeking enlightenment about the predicament of the self in contemporary society.

This book introduces the groundbreaking work of the German critical psychologist Klaus Holzkamp. In contrast to contemporary psychology's worldlessness, the writings present a concept of psychology based on the individual's relations to the world and open up new perspectives on human subjectivity, agency and the conduct of everyday life.

This book introduces the groundbreaking work of the German critical psychologist Klaus Holzkamp. In contrast to contemporary psychology's worldlessness, the writings present a concept of psychology based on the individual's relations to the world and open up new perspectives on human subjectivity, agency and the conduct of everyday life.

This book may be viewed as an antiguide" to decisionmaking. It rejects mechanical formulas and urges self-reflection and a critique of ideology. Through close readings of fifteen life history interviews, Tod Sloan creates a framework for the interpretation of dilemmas and decisions. Ultimately, we see that a life choice or turning point comprises three phases,dilemma, deliberation, and decision. As each individual recounts a specific instance when a life choice was necessary, the supporting analysis reveals the framework that triggered the sense that a turning point had been reached. Sloan's basic premise is that common sense and mainstream psychology fail to enlighten us about what is actually involved in major life choices. Individuals tend to make decisions that are not in their best interests and, in fact, these decisions tend to reinforce the sociocultural structures that were initially instrumental in the creation of their dilemmas. By reading the extensive case histories and examining the ways in which the subjects' cultural and social embeddedness interacts with unconscious processes, the reader can develop the ability to understand and think critically about personal life decisions. Developed as an antidote to traditional self-help books, Sloan's decision analysis framework is derived from cognitive, phenomenological, and psychoanalytic theory. Each aspect of the decisionmaking process,from the emergence of a dilemma to postdecision regret,can be understood by considering the contexts of personality, life history, practical arrangements, and ideology.