Psychology and social science practically ignored “cool” as a legitimate topic of research. While in fact, the occurrence of cool has played an important role in the historical, social and cultural development of Black people, especially some Black males. Some Black male businessmen use cool behaviors to fight against stress caused by meaningful life supporting social, economic, political, and business issues. Coolposing is a leadership strategy based on African cultural elements of communicative individuality and mysticism, emerging from influences of “cool pose.” It is a part of character, and character is the representation of one’s self in everyday life. It is a positive response by America’s Black males (and not niggas) to alienation, lynching, and loss of community grounded in the coolness of the first group of captured, yet resistant Africans, who arrived at Jamestown, Virginia in 1619. Within this book, readers will learn all about this often ignored subject, its central elements, and the nine kinds of “cool.” Coolposing proposes a major shift for the best mental, spiritual and physical health of Black males and prescribes measures for crisis intervention, as well as for preventing mental burnout.

Offering a fresh perspective on treatment, this book presents an overarching framework and numerous specific strategies for working with violent youth and their families. The authors draw on extensive experience to identify four critical factors that push some adolescents to commit harmful, even deadly acts: devaluation, erosion of community, dehumanized loss, and rage. Effective ways to address each of these factors in clinical and school settings are discussed and illustrated with evocative case material. The book also provides essential guidance on connecting with aggressive teeens--many whom have endured traumas of their owen--managing difficult situations that are likely to arise in therapy.

Mediated Images of the South: The Portrayal of Dixie in Popular Culture, edited by Alison F. Slade, Dedria Givens-Carroll and Amber J. Narro, is an anthology that explores the impact of the image of the Southerner within mass communication and popular culture. The contributors offer a contemporary analysis of the Southerner in the media. In most cases, previous literature situates these media images in the past, most notably through historic analyses of the Southerner during the Civil Rights movement. Mediated Images of the South breaks out of the box of the 1960s and 1970s by including the most recent and contemporary cultural examples of the Southerner. This book represents a long overdue analysis of those images, from both the past and the present. In addition, the discussions are not limited to one genre of media, but provide the reader with an opportunity to see how far-reaching the myth of the Southerner and the Southern image is in American society. While there is a long list of successful southern politicians, historical figures, businessmen and women, actors and actresses, sports figures and other national and world leaders, Slade, Givens-Carroll, and Narro find that there is still work to be done to present southerners as capable and educated.

As the official publication of the Division on Black American Literature and Culture of the Modern Language Association of America, African American review promotes an exchange among writers and scholars in the arts, humanities, and social sciences who hold diverse perspectives of African American literature and culture.

Personal Conflict Management utilizes a modernized theory/skill approach to interpersonal conflict, placing equal emphasis on the theoretical and practical. Supporting the notion that there is not one correct approach to conflict management, and utilizing the authors’ shared experiences as mediators and organizational facilitators, this text demonstrates the value of collaborative models for resolving conflict and the necessity and benefits in understanding competitive approaches. Through the inclusion of both competitive and cooperative theories, the authors present contrasting perspectives of conflict management. Beginning with an introduction to conflict, the text examines the major approaches and theories of conflict management. Following a discussion of the causes and variables which exist within conflicts, the skills necessary for conflict management are analyzed, including listening, the ability to seek information, the importance of understanding personality types and behavior patters, negotiation, and conflict assessment. The final two sections of the text take the reader beyond the basics, exploring the difficulties encountered in conflict management, the aftermath to a conflict, and conflicts in context, applying the theoretical concepts to everyday situations. Written in an academic yet reader-friendly style, this textbook is enjoyable and thought-provoking for both students and instructors. Case studies, examples, essay suggestions, discussion questions, etc support an interactive environment that optimizes learning opportunities. Instructors will find these features useful in the development of classroom discussions and assignments, while students will benefit from the opportunity to examine their own conflict behavior and enhance their skills in conflict management.