[Xmca-l] Re: Community Psychology

Wed Mar 23 09:11:14 PDT 2016

Mike,

Well, if it was just rats in mazes, you surely appreciated this from
Sarason's piece that you just sent:

"American psychology has always been a psychology of the individual. I have
long maintained that if Thorndike had put more than one rat in the maze, we
would have had a more productive and realistic basis for understanding
social behavior. Riveting on the individual organism has had the effect of
blunting the study of contexts-that is, ecology"

So, did you ever try it?
-greg

On Wed, Mar 23, 2016 at 9:54 AM, mike cole <mcole@ucsd.edu> wrote:

> When I was at Yale, Greg, I was a rat psychologist and an assistant
> professor. My work was not connected with the volunteer work we did in our
> local community. I knew Seymour, and visited the clinic, but I was already
> very distracted by the appearance of research in Africa to deal with -- a
> seemingly unrelated set of professional concerns.
>
> It was not until we began conducting research in New York that I made
> intellectual contact with Seymor again. As the MCA articles indicate, he
> been a central source of ideas for a great many people associated with
> LCHC.
> mike
>
> On Wed, Mar 23, 2016 at 8:35 AM, Greg Thompson <greg.a.thompson@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > Quick question for anyone who knows about ropes and tensile strength:
> >
> > Is the tensile strength of the rope greater than the sum of the tensile
> > strength of each of the threads?
> >
> > I ask b.c. I've been talking holism a lot lately and have been looking
> for
> > a good metaphor for the notion of "emergent properties".
> >
> > -greg
> >
> >
> >
> > On Wed, Mar 23, 2016 at 9:19 AM, mike cole <mcole@ucsd.edu> wrote:
> >
> > > I forgot about Inglod, Larry. Of course!
> > > Can you pick out a parallel passage from his work.
> > > The rope metaphor also has an interesting affinity to the use of the
> > > pathways metaphor to describe ontogenetic development.
> > >
> > > mike
> > >
> > > On Wed, Mar 23, 2016 at 8:09 AM, Lplarry <lpscholar2@gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > > > Mike,
> > > > This book seems to be focused specifically on the theme of the
> > discussion
> > > > as it is unfolding.
> > > > Ingold's metaphor of rope as particular lines of carrying on
> together I
> > > > read as questioning another metaphor of *totality* which carries on
> > with
> > > > notions of parts and wholes that articulate together or joint
> together
> > > into
> > > > a context of totality.
> > > > The existence of these parts that exist as substance which joint
> > together
> > > > coincidently.
> > > >
> > > > The rope metaphor is challenging this nice packaged *totality*
> metaphor
> > > > where the parts fit together or are articulated with nothing left
> out.
> > > > Your question asking what exists as excess beyond the boundary
> marking
> > > > (naming) of activity setting may be reflected upon as parts or lines
> of
> > > > inquiry.
> > > >
> > > > Parts carrying on or travelling within totality/wholes
> > > > Lines carrying on within ropes
> > > > Larry
> > > >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: "mike cole" <mcole@ucsd.edu>
> > > > Sent: ‎2016-‎03-‎21 12:22 PM
> > > > To: "eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity" <xmca-l@mailman.ucsd.edu>
> > > > Subject: [Xmca-l] Re: Community Psychology
> > > >
> > > > Trying to follow through on each of the concepts, Cliff.
> > > >
> > > > In this connection, I notice that you use the term "activity setting"
> > > which
> > > > you attribute to Vygotsky. The book I took the McDermott materials
> from
> > > is
> > > > called "Understanding Practice: Perspectives on activity and context.
> > In
> > > > that book, in the discussions among authors, Engestrom is led to
> > declare
> > > > that "the activity is the context."
> > > >
> > > > So my mind is spinning around what an activity setting might refer to
> > > over
> > > > and above "activity." And then there is the question of how your use
> of
> > > the
> > > > term context and the word setting relate to each other. And all of
> this
> > > is
> > > > presumably closely linked to the discussion on text/context.
> > > >
> > > > Interesting to revisit old topics from new perspectives.
> > > >
> > > > mike
> > > >
> > > > On Sun, Mar 20, 2016 at 11:55 AM, Cliff O'Donnell <cliffo@hawaii.edu
> >
> > > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > > Thanks, Mike. Attached is the manuscript for my 2012 article with
> > > Roland.
> > > > > In it we discuss how we are using the concepts of context, culture,
> > and
> > > > > intersubjectivity.
> > > > > Note that context is expressed in one of the goals of community
> > > > psychology
> > > > > by its professional organization,
> > > > > the Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA):
> > > > > ‘'to promote theory development and research that increases
> > > > > our understanding of human behavior in context’'
> > > > > (SCRA 2010 )."
> > > > >
> > > > > After discussing the many meanings of culture, we used the
> definition
> > > as
> > > > > the "shared meanings of people, developed through their history
> > > > > and activities." Also in our discussion of intersubjectivity, we
> > noted
> > > > > "intersubjectivity does not imply uniformity. Diversity may be a
> > shared
> > > > > value,
> > > > > agreement about process may allow frequent conflict, and there will
> > > > always
> > > > > be differences among people in their skills, thoughts, experience,
> > and
> > > > > emotions. In
> > > > > addition, activity settings are dynamic; their characteristics are
> in
> > > > flux
> > > > > and, therefore, the intersubjectivity of their participants change
> > over
> > > > > time (O’Donnell et al.
> > > > > 1993, p. 507)."
> > > > >
> > > > > Cliff
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > On Mar 20, 2016, at 8:26 AM, mike cole wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > Alfredo's comments sent me looking for background material on the
> CC
> > > side
> > > > >> of Roland and Cliff's article.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> There is an article by Seymour as part of a special issue of MCA a
> > > while
> > > > >> ago. It seems not to have attraced the notice it
> deserves.Attached.
> > > > >> Also attached is a recent summary of Community Psychology and
> > > > Intervention
> > > > >> research which seemed like promising background and perhaps a
> source
> > > of
> > > > >> additional ideas, since intervention is what so many us do
> > > > professionally.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> Myself, I have been thinking about why Roland and Cliff identified
> > > > >> secondary intersubjectivity as a key common principle.
> > > > >>
> > > > >> mike
> > > > >>
> > > > >> --
> > > > >>
> > > > >> It is the dilemma of psychology to deal as a natural science with
> an
> > > > >> object
> > > > >> that creates history. Ernst Boesch
> > > > >> <Revisiting the Creating of Settings.pdf><communitypsych.pdf>
> > > > >>
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > --
> > > >
> > > > It is the dilemma of psychology to deal as a natural science with an
> > > object
> > > > that creates history. Ernst Boesch
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > >
> > > It is the dilemma of psychology to deal as a natural science with an
> > object
> > > that creates history. Ernst Boesch
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > Gregory A. Thompson, Ph.D.
> > Assistant Professor
> > Department of Anthropology
> > 880 Spencer W. Kimball Tower
> > Brigham Young University
> > Provo, UT 84602
> > http://byu.academia.edu/GregoryThompson
> >
>
>
>
> --
>
> It is the dilemma of psychology to deal as a natural science with an object
> that creates history. Ernst Boesch
>

-- 
Gregory A. Thompson, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Anthropology
880 Spencer W. Kimball Tower
Brigham Young University
Provo, UT 84602
http://byu.academia.edu/GregoryThompson