Invitation to lecture and reception on the occasion of the publication of the book: Development of self in culture · 15. February 2012
Time
Tuesday 21. February 2012 at 14:30 - 17:00
Host
Cognitive Psychology Unit
Address
Aalborg University, Kroghstræde 3 by the auditorium
Development of self in culture
Guest lecture by Manuel de la Mata Benitez and book-ereception and on the occasion of the publication of the book:"Development of self in culture" by Kristine Jensen de López & Tia G. B. Hansen (ed)
Programme:
14.30-16.00: Guest lecture
16.00-16.00: Book-reception
Read more about the book: Development of self in culture
Guest lecture by Manuel de la Mata Benitez: Identity reconstruction and empowerment of women who have suffered domestic violence
After the book reception, Manuel de la Mata Benitez from University of Sevilla (Spain) will give a guest lecture. The lecture will present some data of a study about identity reconstruction in women who have experienced partner gender violence and, after suffering such a traumatic experience, are in the process of recovery and self-reconstruction.
From our theoretical perspective, the self is considered a distributed, dialogical and narrative construction, a life-story. It takes its meaning in the historical circumstances of culture and is supported on meanings, languages and narratives which are culturally and historically specific (Bruner, 1997, 2003; Hermans & Kempen, 1993; McAdams, 1999, 2003).
For the empirical study, semi-structured biographical interviews with eight women were conducted. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed in two different and complementary ways.
For the first analysis an adapted version of Bruner’s self-indicators (1997) was applied. The adaptation of Bruner’s original self indicators consisted of the polarization of some of them. Finally, 20 indicators were considered for the analyses. By using those indicators, we tried to examine how themes like agency or the difficulties for action, personal resources, the reference to emotional states (both positive and negative), as well as reflections and evaluations of own experience become more preeminent.
The second analysis was focused on the changes in self-positionings (Harré & Langenhove, 1999) of the characters in women’s autobiographical narratives and in the way in which different voices (Bakhtin, 1986; Wertsch, 1991) are inter-animated in these narratives.
References:
Bakhtin, M. M. (1986) Speech Genres and Other Late Essays. Transl. Vern W. McGee. Austin: University of Texas Press.
Bruner, J.S. (1997). A narrative model of self-construction, In J.G. Snodgrass y R.L. Thompson (eds.), The self across psychology: self-recognition, sel-awareness, and the self concept, pp. 145-161. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences Vol. 818.
Bruner, J.S. (2003). Self-making narratives. En R. Fivush y C.A. Haden (eds.), Autobiographical memory and the construction of a narrative self. Developmental and cultural perspectives. (pp. 209-225) Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Harré, R. & Van Langenhove, Luk (eds) (1999). Positioning Theory: Moral Contexts of Intentional Action. Malden: BlackwellHermans.
Hermans, H.J.M. & Kempen, H.J.G. (1993). The dialogical self: Meaning as movement. San Diego: Academic Press.
McAdams, D. P. (1999). Personal narratives and the life story. In L. Pervin & O. John (eds.), Handbook of personality: Theory and research (2nd ed., pp.478-500). N. York: Guilford Press
McAdams, D.P. (2003). Identity and the life story. En R. Fivush y C.A. Haden (eds.), Autobiographical memory and the construction of a narrative self. Developmental and cultural perspectives. (pp. 187-207) Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Wertsch,, J. V. (1991). Voices Of The Mind : A Sociocultural Approach To Mediated Action: Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.
