Bowen Family Systems Theory (BFST) has become a significant resource for many clergy and congregational leaders. Since the groundbreaking volume by Edwin Friedman in 1985, Generation to Generation, the theory continues to be an influential “theory of practice” for ministry. As a bona fide theory, that is, one grounded in a field of study and practice, BFST provides a more rigorous framework as a theory of practice than devotional, romantic, metaphorical, or individualistic understandings of the role of clergy in a particular context, the congregation. In a day of liminal transition and great swells of anxiety in local churches the benefits of framing one’s function as a leader using BFST as a construct for understanding emotional systems in congregations can be a significant resource for healthier and more effective functioning. The 100 quotes in this primer serve as an introduction and overview of the theory for novices, the curious, and “veterans” of the theory.
Tag: Theory
A Theory of Human Motivation (Psychology Classics)
Essential Reading For Psychology Students
A Theory of Human Motivation by Abraham H. Maslow is one of the most famous psychology articles ever written. Originally published in 1943, it was in this landmark paper that Maslow presented his first detailed representation of Self-Actualization – the desire to become everything that one is capable of becoming – at the pinnacle of a hierarchy of human needs.
Bonus Content:
In A Theory of Human Motivation Maslow draws upon some of his earlier published work. Three of these key references, Conflict, Frustration And The Theory of Threat, The Dynamics of Psychological Security-Insecurity and Preface To Motivation Theory are also presented in full.
A Theory of Human Motivation has been produced as part of an initiative by the website All About Psychology to make important psychology publications widely available.
www.all-about-psychology.com
To Flourish or Destruct: A Personalist Theory of Human Goods, Motivations, Failure, and Evil
In his 2010 book What Is a Person?, Christian Smith argued that sociology had for too long neglected this fundamental question. Prevailing social theories, he wrote, do not adequately capture our deep subjective experience as persons, crucial dimensions of the richness of our own lived lives, what thinkers in previous ages might have called our souls’ or hearts.’” Building on Smith’s previous work, To Flourish or Destruct examines the motivations intrinsic to this subjective experience: Why do people do what they do? How can we explain the activity that gives rise to all human social life and social structures?
Smith argues that our actions stem from a motivation to realize what he calls natural human goods: ends that are, by nature, constitutionally good for all human beings. He goes on to explore the ways we can and do fail to realize these endsa failure that can result in varying gradations of evil. Rooted in critical realism and informed by work in philosophy, psychology, and other fields, Smith’s ambitious book situates the idea of personhood at the center of our attempts to understand how we might shape good human lives and societies.
Critical Aesthetic Pedagogy: Toward a Theory of Self and Social Empowerment (New Literacies and Digital Epistemologies)
This book has received the AESA (American Educational Studies Association) Critics Choice Award 2012.
This book introduces a progressive type of education called Critical Aesthetic Pedagogy. This pedagogy utilizes the arts to promote critical learning, and incorporates particular types of aesthetic experiences into pedagogical practices to increase students’ social empowerment and commitment to social justice. The first coherent body of work that marries critical pedagogy and aesthetics, the book guides theory and practice for teacher educators interested in infusing their critical pedagogical practices with the arts. It also proposes tangible reforms in the public school system that will enable a critical aesthetic process to take root and thrive.
Critical Aesthetic Pedagogy can be used in upper-level undergraduate and graduate teacher education and art education courses. It can also help P-12 teachers and art organizations to successfully develop and carry out critical aesthetic practices at all levels. In addition, it provides a rationale for school administrators, community leaders, and educational policymakers for embracing critical aesthetic practices as a way to improve the education of all children.
Teacher Motivation: Theory and Practice
Teacher Motivation: Theory and Practice provides a much needed introduction to the current status and future directions of theory and research on teacher motivation. Although there is a robust literature covering the theory and research on student motivation, until recently there has been comparatively little attention paid to teachers. This volume draws together a decade of work from psychological theorists and researchers interested in what motivates people to choose teaching as a career, what motivates them as they work with students in classrooms, the impact of intrinsic and extrinsic forces on career experiences, and how their motivational profiles vary at different stages of their career. With chapters from leading experts on the topic, this volume provides a critical resource not only for educational psychologists, but also for those working in related fields such as educational leadership, teacher development, policy makers and school psychology.
The Oxford Handbook of Work Engagement, Motivation, and Self-Determination Theory (Oxford Library of Psychology)
Self-determination theory is a theory of human motivation that is being increasingly used by organizations to make strategic HR decisions and train managers. It argues for a focus on the quality of workers’ motivation over quantity. Motivation that is based on meaning and interest is showed to be superior to motivation that is based on pressure and rewards. Work environments that make workers feel competent, autonomous, and related to others foster the right type of motivation, goals, and work values.
The Oxford Handbook of Work Motivation, Engagement, and Self-Determination Theory aims to give current and future organizational researchers ideas for future research using self-determination theory as a framework, and to give practitioners ideas on how to adjust their programs and practices using self-determination theory principles. The book brings together self-determination theory experts and organizational psychology experts to talk about past and future applications of the theory to the field of organizational psychology. The book covers a wide range of topics, including: how to bring about commitment, engagement, and passion in the workplace; how to manage stress, health, emotions and violence at work; how to encourage safe and sustainable behavior in organizations; how factors like attachment styles, self-esteem, person-environment fit, job design, leadership, compensation, and training affect work motivation; and how work-related values and goals are forged by the work environment and affect work outcomes.
Poetics of the Elements in the Human Condition: The Sea: From Elemental Stirrings to Symbolic Inspiration, Language, and Life-Significance in Literary Interpretation and Theory (Analecta Husserliana)
Work Motivation: History, Theory, Research, and Practice
This book provides a unique behavioral science framework for motivating employees in organizational settings. Drawing upon his experiences as a staff psychologist and consultant, Gary Latham writes in a “mentor voice” that is highly personal and rich in examples. The book includes anecdotes about the major thought leaders in the field of motivation, together with behind-the-scenes accounts of research and the researchers. It offers a chronological review of the field, and a taxonomy for the study and practice of motivation. Controversies of theoretical and practical significance such as the importance of money, the relationship between job satisfaction and job performance, and the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation are discussed.
Leadership: Theory and Practice
Adopted at more than 1,000 colleges and universities worldwide, the market-leading text owes its success to the unique way in which it combines an academically robust account of the major theories and models of leadership with an accessible style and practical exercises that help students apply what they learn. Each chapter of Peter Northouse’s Leadership: Theory and Practice follows a consistent format, allowing students to contrast the various theories, and three case studies in each chapter provide practical examples of each theory or trait discussed. The Sixth Edition adds an important new chapter on Servant Leadership.