Vivien Burr Books

Person centred psychology developed from the work of Carl Rogers, an American psychotherapist and psychologist, who died in 1987. Over the last 50 years the "Person Centred Approach" (PCA)has become one of the most influential approaches to understanding and helping people. Its theory and philosophy, originally developed in the field of counselling and psychotherapy, has been extended to include applications to education, social and community work and the exploration of interpersonal and international conflict. This book poses a series of everyday questions, such as, What makes us tick? Where do my values come from? How did I become who I am? Why are relationships so important? and then explores each of these issues showing how and why person centred psychology takes an optimistic view of human nature. In the process it also provides some novel ideas to help us explain why people behave in the way they do.

This fourth edition offers a comprehensive introduction to social constructionism, highlighting its theoretical foundations through relatable everyday examples and research in fields like personality, sexuality, and health. It aims to clarify the core principles of social constructionism, making complex ideas accessible for students.

Introduction to Social Constructionism is a readable and critical account of social constructionism for students new to the field. Focusing on the challenge to psychology that social constructionism poses, Viven Burr examines the notion of 'personality' to illustrate the rejection of essentialism by social constructionists. This questions psychology's traditional understanding of the person. She then shows how the study of language can be used as a focus for our understanding of human behaviour and experience. This is continued by examining 'discourses' and their role in constructing social phenomena, and the relationship between discourse and power. However, the problems associated with these analyses are also clearly outlined.Many people believe that one of the aims of social science should be to bring about social change. Viven Burr analyses what possibilities there might be for change in social constructionist accounts. She also addresses what social constructionism means in practice to research in the social sciences, and includes some guidelines on undertaking discourse analysis.Introduction to Social Constructionism is an invaluable and clear guide for all perplexed students who want to begin to understand this difficult area.