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SC. 213 2003 - 2004 S0CIAL PSYCHOLOGY: SELF, BIOGRAPHY AND RELATIONSHIPS Ken Plummer and Dan O Neill ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW There are really 'two social psychologies'. One is found in psychology departments and mainly focuses on issues such as 'attitudes' and group conformity and usually does so through the experimental method. The other is found in sociology departments and tends to focus on two major intellectual traditions - the symbolic interactionist and the psycho-dynamic. This course is of the latter kind. It is primarily a social psychology course for sociologists. The course is concerned with the relationships between people and society, between our ‘inner world’ and the outside world. Self, biography and relationship serve as bridges into these issues. Term One: The first term focuses on the nature of the self, its structure and its development, the way in which we experience ourselves and construct stories about our lives and our identities. We start from the assumption that the self is both a social product - the result of our experiences that come the wider society - and the result of psychological processes - what we do with what comes to us from the outside world. Notions of 'Identity' and 'Self' have become central to much recent social thought. The prime focus of this course will be to review debates around 'identity' ( to sense that they are not really all that new!) ; to pose a series of analytic questions around the idea; to inspect the relevance to understanding issues of ‘a late modern world.’; and to examine a series of case studies of identity - but especially those focusing on gender and sexualities. The main themes to be developed will focus upon how we 'invent ourselves' at century's turn? It will ask such questions as : what is identity - is there even such a thing? ?What might be ‘identity strands’? how are these socially constructed, maintained and transformed? how has identity evolved across time and space? What are its historical forms - is there a modern identity, a late modern identity, a post-modern identity? What are its cross cultural forms - is there a globalizing self, and what is a post colonial self? How does it become transformed across the life span? How do we tell an identity - is identity a life story? is it a narrative? What role does identity politics play in current political change and how is it linked to social movements? How does the self link to moral issues? Term Two: The focus changes this term to the range of relationships that we engage in at different times in our lives. In the main, these will be relationships that we enter into voluntarily, rather than those that follow from work roles, for example. The juxtaposition of interactionist and psychoanalytic interpretations that was developed during the first term will be continued in an examination of the functions of different kinds of relationships and the processes that 1 occur within them. The course will aim to identify a number of links between these microsocial contexts and processes, and the macrosocial environment. At the end of the course, students should have a better understanding of their own and others relationships and be able to critically evaluate the contibution of psychoanalytic theory and symbolic interactionism to the study of relationships. Given that we are all in the position of having experience of past and present relationships, students will be encouraged to contribute their experiences, opinions and questions to the discussion. The lecture schedule is set out below, and an outline for the tutorial sessions follows; however, the tutorials will allow for some flexibility to pursue students interests, if they are not covered in the core material. There are a number of themes that will run through the course, including communication within relationships, the joint construction of meaning by participants, the dynamic nature of relationships, autonomy and power. In addition to the theoretical understanding from a constructionist perspective, there will be major contributions from psychoanalytic theory – in particular, the work of Melanie Klein. GENERAL COURSE OUTLINE Term One (by weeks) 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. An introduction to the course An introduction to Park, Mead & Symbolic Interactionism An introduction to Freud The nature of the self Goffman and the workings of the self The biographically evolving self The narrative self The historically changing self: traditional to post-modern The gendered and sexual self (if time) The embodied self Term Two (by weeks) 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. Introduction to the study of relationships Earliest relationships Early attachment experience Peer relationships Liking and loving Long term relationships Family relationships Attachment in later life Dysfunctional and abusive relationships When can I cu :-) ? Relationships and the internet Term Three There will be several revisions sessions to be announced later 2 ‘AIMS AND OBJECTIVES’ Ian Craib, who used to run this course, said some interesting things about the learning process and we thought we would repeat them here. They are very acute. (1) What is taught is never quite the same thing as what is learnt - each of you will pick up something different from each lecture and there is no ‘definitive version’, and certainly no definitive version that you can reproduce and hand back in essay form. (2) The best courses (and degree schemes) are effective because they produce a degree of anxiety and confusion in students - it is the anxiety and confusion that motivates learning; if it were a matter of memorising by rote and regurgitating what the teacher wants, you would learn nothing. (3) The best courses are those that increase our knowledge of how little we know - there is a sense in which, at the end of course, you should be more aware of your ignorance than you are at the beginning. (4) The best courses challenge what you already believe about the world and yourself; the sometimes painful process of dealing with such challenges is a central part of learning. (5) At the end of the course you should know something about theories that have been discussed and the substantive topics that have been covered. But this is only a very basic starting point. Much more important is the ability to think with and about the issues - to develop arguments that can take account of evidence and develop in a rational way; and the ability to explore the substantive topics employing different and even contradictory ideas. ASSESSMENT The course will be assessed by three pieces of work and an exam: The Essays: I essay from list A, dealing with the first term’s work I essay from list B dealing with the second term’s work. The Exam: There will also be the usual three hour exam in the summer term. DEADLINES: YOU MUST MEET THE DEPARTMENTAL DEADLINES (SEE THE GREEN BOOK) Extensions can only be given by the Director of Undergraduate Studies directly or on the advice of one of the department advisors Handing in Essays Assignments should be handed in to the General Sociology Office 6.339. A form needs completing and a receipt should be received. You should hand in two typed copies. (Hand-written essays are not acceptable) One essay will be returned to you. 3 Return of Essays Essays will be returned within at least a month (or in week 2 of a subsequent term, if handed in during the last week of term). One copy of your essay will be returned with comments - either via us or through your mail box. No comments will be provided if the essay is late. One essay will be retained in our files. KEY TEXTS Anthony Giddens: Ken Plummer (2001,Sage) John Hewitt Modernity and Self Identity (1992: Polity) Documents of Life 2 : An Invitation to a Critical Humanism -2 Self and Society (2001: Allyn and Bacon) THE YEAR'S PROGRAMME AND READING LIST WEEK 2 (OLD WEEK 1) Introduction to the Course : Self and Identity in Social Theory The session will start with an introduction of ourselves, to each other and the course. Ken and Dan will preview what the course hopes to achieve in some detail, along with the work requirements and the reading. Students will introduce themselves to each other. Suggestions and discussion on class format. General expectations of what we all hope to get from the course will be considered. Work loads will be allocated. What is social psychology? How does psychological social psychology differ from the sociological version? What are the different traditions of sociological social psychology? How might you bridge the social world and the inner world. WEEK 3 (Old week 2) Introduction to Symbolic Interactionism One major background to the theory of the self is symbolic interactionism. This hundred year old tradition has recently been 'revitalised' and a number of developments and problems within this history will be considered. Look at some of the following if you can - because they provide both a history and a contemporary update of the theory: Key texts are: H. Blumer Symbolic Interactionism (And for an account of this see Plummer, in Stones Key Sociological Thinkers). For general background, see : Nancy Herman & Larry Reynolds Joel Charon Symbolic Interaction Symbolic Interactionism, 7th edition 2000 4 John P Hewitt Ken Plummer (ed) Norman K Denzin Self and Society, 8th edition, 2002 Symbolic Interactionism Vols 1 and 2 Symbolic Interactionism and Cultural Studies And for good modern examples, see Carolyn Ellis & Michael Flaherty eds Investigating Subjectivity On Mead, see : G.H.Mead David Miller John Baldwin Mind, Self and Society Mead: Self, Language and World George Herbert Mead (Sage) What are the key themes of symbolic interactionism? Analyse the versions of self in the work of James and Mead Trace the emergence of symbolic interactionism. What is the I and the Me? Is the self socially constructed? WEEK 4 Introduction to Psychoanalytic Ideas This week will discuss some foundational elements of psychoanalytic study, beginning with a broad sense of Freud’s work Four short introductions may be useful: try and read one of them. The first three are very basic indeed: Ruth Berry Freud : A Beginners Guide (Headway;2000) Richard Appignanesi Introducing Freud (Icon, 1999). Richard Osborne Freud for Beginners Anthony Storr Freud: A very short introduction (Oxford, 2001) Freud's own work is voluminous but you should try and look at Sigmund Freud Introductory Lectures on Pychoanalysis See also: S. Freud Two Short Accounts of Psychoanalysis The Interpretation of Dreams Chaps 6 & 7 New Introductory Lectures Two vigorous critiques of Psychoanalysis: Jeffrey Masson E. Gellner Against Therapy The Psychoanalytic Movement An interesting modern case study is: Marie Cardinale The Words to Say It 5 Briefly trace the development of Freud's ideas Suggest core features of the inner world of identity? Is the self constructed socially, within the inner world, or both? How does the unconscious work in Freud's world? What makes sociological identity differ from interactionist identity? WEEK 5. The Nature of the Self This session will see the discussion of the self fully under way. It will aim to provide a wide discussion of the meaning of identity and self in social life (but also within moral theory). The mini lecture will set out some definitions of the idea of self and identity, and go on to briefly trace their history and links to different theoretical paradigms. You should try to consider one of the following discusssions: General John P Hewitt Ian Burkitt Norbert Wiley Self and Society, 8th edition, 2002 Social Selves The Semiotic Self See also: Jaber Gubrium Thomas K. Fitzgerald Robert J Lifton The Self We Live By (Oxford, 2000) Metaphors of Identity (SUNY 1993) The Life of the Self Much more philosophical and ambitious is : Charles Taylor Sources of the Self (NB This is only recommended if the topic really interests you at a philosophical level). Other Traditions of studying the self Another ‘tradition’ has emerged over the past twenty years or so which is attached to Cultural Studies and bridges Foucault, the work of Stuart Hall, and allied groupings such as Queer theorists, Feminist Theorists and Post-Colonial Theorists. For some reading in these areas , see: Kathryn Woodward ed Identity and Difference (1997: Sage) Stuart Hall & Paul du Gay ed Questions of Cultural Identity (1996: Sage) Nikolas Rose Inventing our Selves (1998) Cambridge There are other backgrounds to the theory of the self - like humanistic psychology. This will not be a focus of this course, but if you are interested see: C. William Tageson Carl Rogers Humanistic Psychology : A Synthesis The Carl Rogers Reader, 1989. Also influential have been the ideas of Foucault, though again he will not be a prime focus. For a review of his work, see: 6 Alan Sheridan the most accessible texts are: Foucault : The Will To Truth Discipline and Punish The History of Sexuality Finally, it will be helpful to grasp from the outset the variability of the self across cultures. See: Brian Morris Anthropology of the Self Critically compare the interactionist theory of self and identity with any one other theory of self. Do they complement each other? How far is symbolic interactionism a postmodern social theory? What is the Focauldian notion of the ‘self’? Compare different ways of studying and getting at the self. WEEK 6. Goffman and the workings of the self This week will focus on a discussion of the dynamics of the self. We will focus primarily on the day to day workings of the self, including issues of disclosure and secrecy; a key figure will be that of Goffman, and the readings will include : Erving Goffman Erving Goffman Erving Goffman Erving Goffman The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life Asylums Encounters Relations in Public See also: Charles Lemert & Ann Branaman eds Jason Ditton ed Paul Drew et al Phil Manning The Goffman Reader The View from Goffman Erving Goffman Erving Goffman Analyse the work of Erving Goffman on the construction of a self. Examine how daily life gets assembled through interaction. Can there ever be a secret self? Discuss the strategies by which a self may be hidden and then revealed? Take a slice of your own everyday interaction and consider how far Goffman helps you understand it. WEEK 7 (OLD WEEK 6) The biographically evolving self 7 The focus this week will be on the life story and it’s the way it evolves Again a prime concern will be with the ways in which pa and si theories approach this differently. We will look especially at Ken Plummer Documents of Life 2: An Invitation to Critical Humanism See also: Anselm Strauss Robert Kegan Jay Gubrium Erik Erikson N. Levinson et al Gail Sheehy Mirrors and Masks The Evolving Self Beyond Maturity The Life Cycle Completed Season's of a Man's Life New Passages What is the value of a life story? What stages might a life pass through? How would you consider a life to be a 'success'? Is radical change in adult life possible? WEEK 8 The Self We Live By: The Narrative Reconstruction of the Self: The notion of narrative is becoming increasingly popular amongst sociologists working in this area. This raises questions about whether there is a difference between peoples’ accounts of their lives, and their ‘real lives’ - the life as told and the life as lived. This section of the course will discuss the problem of biography, text and narrative. The dynamics of 'reading the self' will be explored, and a social model of reading considered. You will be asked to ‘raid’ a biography in some medium - book, video, newspaper - and to see how identities are assembled through narrative work. Again, a general guide to this will be: Ken Plummer Humanism Documents of Life 2: An Invitation to Critical See also: Dan McAdams Dan McAdams Making of the Self (1993): Guildford Gary Kenyon & William Randall Liz Stanley Laura Marcus Norman Denzin Ken Plummer Jerome Bruner J.Potter and M.Wetherall Theodore Sarbin Catherine K Riessman Power, Intimacy and the Life Story The Stories we Live By: Personal Myths and the Restorying Our Lives (1996) Praeger The Auto/biographical I (1992) Manchester UP Auto/biographical Discourses (1994) Mancheseter Interpretive Biography Telling Sexual Stories 'Life as Narrative', Social Research, 1987,Spring. Discourse and Social Psychology Narrative Psychology Narrative Analysis For instances of life history/biography , see : 8 Clifford Shaw The Jack Roller Robert Bogdan Jane Fry : the Autobiography of Being Different Michel Foucault Herculine Barbine. Norman K. Denzin 'Harold and Agnes: A Feminist Narrative Undoing' Sociological Theory (1990), Vol 8, No 2, p198-216. Selecting any one life story - in video, letters, autobiography etc.- consider how ‘Identity is a Life story’.(McAdams). Discuss the ‘narrative turn’ in sociology. Can it help in an understanding of Identity? Therapeutic Narratives We may also this week, if there is time, consider how narratives of lives enter therapy: Michael White & David Epston David Payne Rhetoric Roy Schafer Psychoanlysis Sheila McNamee & Ken Gergen Arthur Kleinman David Spence Narrative Means to Therapeutic Ends Coping with Failure : The Therapeutic Uses of Retelling a Life : Narration and Dialogue in Therapy as Social Construction The Illness Narratives Narrative Truth and Historical Truth Three case studies are: Anne Schaef E. Sue Blumer Judith Lewis Herman When Society Becomes an Addict Secret Survivors Trauma and recovery For critical commentaries, see: Wendy Simonds Wendy Kaminer Anthony Giddens Edwin Schur bell hooks Gary Greenberg Women and Self Help Culture I'm Dysfunctional, You're Dysfunctional Modernity and Self Identity The Awareness Trap Sisters of the Yam The Self on the Shelf WEEK 9 The Historical Transformation of the Self: Classical, Modern and Postmodern conceptions of Identity This week will focus upon the transformation of the self, from a presumed classical or traditional model of the self towards a distinctively different one in the modern period. It will ultimately pose the question as to whether we are moving into a new world of postmodern identities- which we will then adddress through the case studies of gender/sexuality Key reading for this week will be: 9 Anthony Giddens Kenneth Gergen Modernity and Self-Identity The Saturated Self On traditional identity and modern identity, see also Roy Baumeister Identity : Cultural Change and the Struggle for Self John P Hewitt Dilemmas of the American Self David Riesman The Lonely Crowd Peter Berger The Homeless Mind Louis Zurcher The Mutable Self Robert Bellah et al Habits of the Heart Diane Bjorklund Interpreting the Self: Two hundred years of American Autobiography (1999: Chicago) As modernity turns to postmodernity, or late modernity, identity is once again the topic of much analysis. For useful guides to all this, see : V. Kavolis Scott Lasch,J.Friedmann Steinar Kvale ed Madan Sarup 'Postmodern Man' Social Problems, Vol 17 p435-48 Modernity and Identity Psychology and Postmodernism Identity,Culture and the Postmodern World Is there a post-modern self? Trace the historical transformations of the self during the ‘Industrial Period’. What problems do you encounter in attempting such an exercise? WEEK 10 (OLD WEEK 9) Gender and Sexual Identities Having examined a number of general theories and conceptualisations of self and identity over the past eight weeks, the last two weeks of the term will be given over to discussions of how gender and sexuality is linked to self, and how self and identity become incorporated in to political actions. This week the focus will be on gender and sexuality. The Making of Gender Identity S. Freud Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality Carol Gilligan In A Different Voice Nancy Chodorow The Reproduction of Mothering Judith Butler Gender Trouble Barrie Thorne Gender Play: Girls and Boys in Schools Mairtin Mac An Ghail The Making of Men Chris Haywood & Mairtin Mac an Ghaill Men and Masculinities (2003) Open University R.W.Connell Masculinities The Making of Sexual Identity L. Segal Jonathan Katz Gil Herdt 'Sexualities' in K. Woodward Identity and Difference The Invention of Heterosexuality Guardians of the Flute 10 Peter Nardi and Beth Schneider eds Richard Troiden Social Perspectives on Lesbian and Gay Lesbian and Gay Identity Queered Identities Steven Seidman ed Arlene Stein Nicki Sullivan Eve Kasofsky Sedgwick Judith Halberstam Queer theory/Sociology Sisters, Sexperts & Queers A Critical Introduction to Queer Theory Epistemology of the Closet : Axiomatic Female Masculinities WEEK 11 (OLD WEEK 10) Gender Identities and the Politics of Identity A major concern over identity in recent years has been the rise of new social movements around identity politics. This session will review the rise of NSM’s (New Social Movements) and the range of theories that have emerged to look at them. The Politics of Identity will then be discussed. See. K. Woodward ' Concepts of Identity and Difference' in K. Woodward ed Identity and Difference Ch 1 Craig Calhoun Social Theory and The Politics of Identity Shane Phelan Identity Politics Cornel West 'The New Cultural Politics of Difference',in R. Ferguson et al eds Out There : Marginalization and Contemporary Cultures Eric Hobsbawn ‘Identity Politics and the Left’ New Left Review, May 1996 p38-47 What is the politics of identity? With reference to the Women’s , Gay, Black, or Nationalist Movements, examine the rise of a politics of identity and consider how successful such a political strategy has been for this group? Discuss the ways in which ‘identities’ are connected to debates on citizenship. WINTER VACATION WEEKS 12 -15 15 DEC -12TH JAN WEEK 16 Introduction to the study of relationships. 11 As well as establishing what is meant by ‘a relationship’, the first session will review some of the main trends in relationship research over the last few decades. Much of the work that has been done has focussed on social interaction rather than interpersonal relationships; however, this large body of ‘mainstream’ work sets the context for more recent research, as well as helping us to understand human relationships. READING Miell & Dallos, Ch 2 Others to follow. Tutorial topic: TBA WEEK 17: Earliest relationships By way of scene setting, there will be a brief overview of pre and peri-natal psychology to establish an appreciation of the capabilities of newborn infants. The emergence of communication and the attribution of meaning to actions will be key themes. The second part of the session will introduce the work of Klein and others who have sought to understand the internal world of pre-verbal children. READING Any introductory child / developmental psychology textbook. Miell & Dallos, Ch 3 Craib, I. Psychoanalysis: a critical introduction Ch 7 & 8 Other papers to follow Tutorial topic: Melanie Klein and Object Relations Theory WEEK 18 Early attachment experience This session will explore attachment theory and its relationship with psychoanalysis, before moving on to the development of attachment relationships. Some of the wider implications of both the theory, and consequences of attachment will be discussed, including the relationship between parental characteristics and quality of attachment. Meins’ theory of ‘mindmindedness will also be discussed. READING Cowie, H Bowlby, J. Bowlby, J Meins, E. (1997). Other papers to follow Personal, Social and Emotional Development of Children, Ch 1 (a good introduction to some of the main ideas) Attachment A Secure Base – Clinical Applications of Attachment Theory Security of attachment and the social development of cognition 12 Tutorial topic: A woman’s place? WEEK 19 Peer relationships This lecture will deal with aspects of relating in school age children, from early friendships through group memberships and rivalries, and the increasing importance of these peer relationships as the child matures towards adolescence. In keeping with the desire not to present an altogether rose-tinted view of relationships, this session will also introduce the subject of bullying. READING Durkin, K. Duck, S Developmental social psychology. Blackwell. Chapter 4 Human Relationships pp112 - 121 Other suitable references to be included Tutorial topic: Are relationships good for us? (You will need to have read Langford, W. You make me sick Women, men and romantic love, Journal of Contemporary Health, no. 5. 52-55.) WEEK 20 Liking and Loving “Although most adolescents and young adults may already have learned to love, most still have a great deal to learn about how to love.” Adolescence may be characterised (or caricatured?) as a time of stormy emotions, conflict and weakening of bonds with parents, but it is also the time when many people form their first long lasting friendships and romantic attachments. The main topic this week will be distinguishing between friendships and love relationships, and including a discussion of behaviour and communication between lovers. READING Miell & Dallos Ch 5, pp 213-229 Duck, S Human Relationships Ch 2 Goffman, E. The presentation of self in everyday life Waters, Hamilton and Weinfeld The Stability of Attachment Security from Infancy to Adolescence and Early Adulthood:General Introduction Child Development, May /June 2000, Volume 71, Number 3, Pages 678-683 Hanoch Flum & Michal Lavi-Yudelevitch: Adolescents’ relatedness and identity formation: A narrative study Giddens, A. (1992) The Transformation of Intimacy: Sexuality, love and Eroticism, Cambridge, Polity Press, Chapter 3, Romantic love and other attachments, ps. 37-48. Giddens, A. (1992) The Transformation of Intimacy: Sexuality, love and Eroticism, Cambridge, Polity Press, Chapter 4, Love, commitment and the pure relationship, ps. 49-63. 13 Other reading to follow Tutorial topic: Are homosexual relationships different? WEEK 21 Long term relationships The transition to being ‘a couple’ can be a watershed in the lives of many people READING Miell & Dallos Ch 4pp + pp 143-7, 129-31, 350-55 Duck, S Human Relationships Ch 4 Berger & Kellner Marriage and the construction of reality in Drietzel: Recent Sociology, Vol 2 Klein, M Love, Guilt and Reparation Tutorial topic: Sibling rivalry WEEK 22 Family relationships Most of us are raised and live in families, and may have first hand knowledge that the environment can be far from idyllic. The dynamics of family life will be discussed, as will the concepts of the family life-cycle, communication and the construction of meaning in families. Time will also be given to discussing some of the causes of conflict within families, and processes for resolving this – including ‘conflict detouring’. READING Miell & Dallos Ch 5, pp 232-237, 250-260 Duck, S Human Relationships Ch 4 (especially if you didn’t read it last week!) Other interesting / useful references will be added at a later stage. Tutorial topic: Attachment and caring in later life WEEK 23 Attachment in later life In recent years there has been increasing interest in the links between early attachment experiences and relating in later life.This session will look at one of the methods that has been used to try to understand the link – the Adult Attachment Interview, and discuss the relationship between attachment and psychoanalysis. The interaction between parenting styles and quality of attachment , and dysfunctional relationships will also be explored 14 READING Klein, M ‘Our adult world and its roots in infancy’, in Melanie Klein, Writings, vol. III, 247-263. Waters, Hamilton and Weinfeld The Stability of Attachment Security from Infancy to Adolescence and Early Adulthood:General Introduction Child Development, May /June 2000, Volume 71, Number 3, Pages 678-683 Ross and Spinner General and specific attachment representations in adulthood: Is there a relationship? Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Vol. 18(6): 747–766. Steele, H. State of the art: Attachment theory, The Psychologist Vol 15 No 10, October 2002, 518 Waters, E. A Secure Base From Which To Explore Close Relationships http://www.psychology.sunysb.edu/ewaters/on-line_PDF/cd2000final.PDF Fonagy, P Points of contact and divergence between psychoanalytic and attachment theories: is psychoanalytic theory truly different? http://www.psychol.ucl.ac.uk/psychoanalysis/zipped/michigan3.rtf Fonagy, P. The validity of the psychoanalytic model in the light the scientific paradigms in the coming century http://www.psychol.ucl.ac.uk/psychoanalysis/zipped/valencia.rtf Tutorial topic: Is it only women who love too much? WEEK 24 Dysfunctional and abusive relationships We know that relationships exist where we think (and say) “ S/he would be better off out of it” – but why do some people stay in dysfunctional or abusive relationships – or seem to go from one such relationship to the next? Although this session will mainly focus on the issue of domestic violence, time (and student interest) permitting, the links between abuse and abusing will also be discussed in the context of child abuse. READING Babcock et al Bears, L. Coid et al Attachment, Emotional Regulation, and the Function of Marital Violence. Journal of Family Violence, Vol. 15, No. 4, 2000 The romanticization of abuse in popular culture. European Journal of Cultural Studies, vol. 2, no. 2, ps. 191-207. 1999 Relation between childhood sexual and physical abuse and risk of revictimisation in women: a cross-sectional survey. Lancet 2001; 358: 450–54 15 Gavey, N. Technologies and Effects of Heterosexual Coercion. From Wilkinson, S. & Kitzinger, C. (1993) Heterosexuality: A feminism and Psychology Reader, London: Sage., pp 93-119. Williamson, G. and Silverman, J. Violence against female partners: Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 18 (4) 535-549, 2001 Tutorial topic: “Oh you silly girl!” Abuse of older people in institutions WEEK 25 When can I CU :-) ? Relationships and the internet Still a new area of enquiry, the subject of relationships conducted at a distance between people who never have (and often never will) physically meet is one which is of increasing interest and significance. This session will explore the similarities and differences between ‘real’ and virtual relationships – after all, if much of what constitutes a relationship is constructed in the minds of the participants through the medium of language, are there any significant differences at all? As well as covering transient relationships and longer-lasting friendships that work, the discussion will also deal with the well publicised darker side of internet based relationships READING Given that this is a new area, it might be difficult to find a good ‘core’text, although Amazon.com abounds with guides on how to do it, and what to do if you are doing it too much. More references will be added to this list at a later date. Whitty M.T. Cyber-Flirting: Playing at Love on the Internet Theory & Psychology, 1 January 2003, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 339-357(19) Sage Publications Markey P.M.; Wells S.M. Interpersonal Perception in Internet Chat Rooms Journal of Research in Personality, April 2002, vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 134-146(13) Elsevier Science Bonebrake K. College Students' Internet Use, Relationship Formation, and Personality Correlates CyberPsychology & Behavior, 1 December 2002, vol. 5, no. 6, pp. 551-557(7) Quayle E.; Taylor M. Child pornography and the internet: perpetuating a cycle of abuse Deviant Behavior, 1 July 2002, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 331-361(31) Miller, H. The Presentation of Self in Electronic Life: Goffman on the Internet 16 Sannicolas, N. Erving Goffman, Dramaturgy, and On-Line Relationships Cybersoc: Issue 1 The regular lectures and tutorials will be followed by one or more sessions to discuss approaches to the exam, revision and anxiety management! PROVISIONAL ESSAY LISTINGS LIST A 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. Trace the emergence of symbolic interactionism and critically appraise its key themes. How does the unconscious work in Freud's world? What makes sociological identity differ from interactionist identity? How far is symbolic interactionism a postmodern social theory? Analyse the work of Erving Goffman on the construction of a self. What is the value of a life story? What stages might a life pass through? How would you consider a life to be a 'success'? Is radical change in adult life possible? Selecting any one life story - in video, letters, autobiography etc.- consider how ‘Identity is a Life story’.(McAdams). Compare and contrast the accounts of the self offered by any one sociological theorist and any one psychoanalytic theorist. Trace the historical transformations of the self during the ‘Industrial Period’. What problems do you encounter in attempting such an exercise? Examine the work of Anthony Giddens on the self. How does gender become an identity? How does the politics of identity depend upon a theory of identity? LIST B 5 ‘Sociologists and psychoanalysts complement each other in their understanding of malaise which affects individuals in modern society’ Discuss. the 6. ‘Fathers are becoming irrelevant; soon they will not be needed at all, even for purposes of conception’. Discuss 7. Critically assess psychoanalytic attempts to understand the experience of the very young child; what does it tell us about parenting? 8. How successful are feminists in appropriating Freud’s theories for their own purposes? 9. It seems increasingly difficult for sexual partners to maintain long term. Stable relationships. To what can this difficulty be attributed? 10. The ageing process involves losing physical faculties, friends and relations. How can Erikson portray the final stage of life as possibly the crowning achievement of everything that has gone before? 17 1. Klein’s work demonstrates that the human personality is built on a bedrock of madness to which we can return at any time during our lives’ Discuss 2. ‘We might spend our lives telling stories about ourselves, or identifying ourselves with the hero in our personal myths, but these attempts to bring order into our sense of ourselves are doomed to failure’ Discuss How do psychoanalysts explain the success or failure of psychoanalytic treatment? Are their accounts adequate? Discuss in relation to any one case study 18