The unconscious dynamics that surface in groups when authority is exercised are of paramount importance in Group Relations Conferences; this volume addresses these considerations through research findings and speculation on the future of Group Relations both within conferences and outside of them. This is the sixth instalment in a series of books based on Tavistock Group Relations Conferences and contains a collection of papers presented at the sixth Belgirate conference. Combining chapters on theory and practice, this volume delivers a meditation on the relationships between the physical spaces we inhabit or co-create, the psychic, inner or spiritual space and the liminal space in-between. Group Relations provides a window of understanding into why inequity and intergroup hostilities pervade the modern world alongside a method that illuminates how people consciously and unconsciously contribute to these tensions, whether personally, in groups or in organisations. This will be an invaluable resource for practitioners, academics, and scholars of Group Relations, as well as managers and organisational members wanting to learn more about how Group Relations methods can contribute to their organisational success.

The volume begins with an overview by Herbert Kelman discussing reconciliation as distinct from related processes of conflict settlement and conflict resolution. Following that, the first section of the volume focuses on intergroup reconciliation as consisting of moving beyond feelings of guilt and victimization (i.e., socio-emotional reconciliation). These processes include acceptance of responsibility for past wrongdoings and being forgiven in return. Such processes must occur on the background of restoring and maintaining feelings of esteem and respect for each of the parties. The chapters in the second section focus on processes through which parties learn to co-exist in a conflict free environment and trust each other (i.e., instrumental reconciliation). Such learning results from prolonged contact between adversarial groups under optimal conditions. Chapters in this section highlight the critical role of identity related processes (e.g., common identity) and power equality in this context. The contributions in the third part apply the social-psychological insights discussed previously to an analysis of real world programs to bring reconciliation (e.g., Tutsis and Hutus in Rwanda, Israelis and Palestinians, and African societies plagued by the HIV epidemic and the Western aid donors). In a concluding chapter Morton Deutsch shares his insights on intergroup reconciliation that have accumulated in close to six decades of work on conflict and its resolution.

COLLABORATIVE NETWORKS Becoming a pervasive paradigm In recent years the area of collaborative networks is being consolidated as a new discipline (Camarinha-Matos, Afsarmanesh, 2005) that encompasses and gives more structured support to a large diversity of collaboration forms. In terms of applications, besides the “traditional” sectors represented by the advanced supply chains, virtual enterprises, virtual organizations, virtual teams, and their breading environments, new forms of collaborative structures are emerging in all sectors of the society. Examples can be found in e-government, intelligent transportation systems, collaborative virtual laboratories, agribusiness, elderly care, silver economy, etc. In some cases those developments tend to adopt a terminology that is specific of that domain; often the involved actors in a given domain are not fully aware of the developments in the mainstream research on collaborative networks. For instance, the grid community adopted the term “virtual organization” but focused mainly on the resource sharing perspective, ignoring most of the other aspects involved in collaboration. The European enterprise interoperability community, which was initially focused on the intra-enterprise aspects, is moving towards inter-enterprise collaboration. Collaborative networks are thus becoming a pervasive paradigm giving basis to new socio-organizational structures.

Each person is a unique individual, yet we all are also defined by groups - those we belong to and those we are excluded from, voluntarily or involuntarily. In the second half of the Human Behavior and the Social Environment sequence, Katherine van Wormer, Fred Besthorn, and Thomas Keefe take a stimulating new approach to exploring this macro view of humanity and demonstrating how each component of society, from the single person to the sprawling organization, is part of a dynamic whole. Their collaboration has produced a remarkable volume that will help students recognize and consider interactions between and among individuals and social systems, and thereby develop into truly effective social workers. *Outlines theoretical concepts and practice implications in each chapter *Highlights the importance of the natural environment and ecology - the "community of the earth" - to human and group behavior *Sets forth a refined understanding of the role of spirituality - the "community of faith" - in people's lives *Focuses on evidence-based theory and research *Teaches from a global, cross-cultural perspective, highlighting themes of empowerment and social justice *Features dynamic readings and personal narratives that highlight each chapter's topic *Accompanied by an online instructor's manual with Power Points for lecture presentations, chapter summaries, key terms, suggested classroom activities, and a test bank with essay and multiple choice questions Also available is a companion volume, Human Behavior and the Social Environment, Micro Level, which offers an eye-opening view of how biological, psychological, and cultural forces influence individuals' behavior.

ICT and globalization have completely redefined learning and communication. People virtually connect to, collaborate with, and learn from other individuals. Because educational technology has matured considerably since its inception, there are still many issues in the design of learner-centered environments. The Handbook of Research on Ecosystem-Based Theoretical Models of Learning and Communication is an essential reference source that discusses learning and communication ecosystems and the strategic role of trust at different levels of the information and knowledge society. Featuring research on topics such as global society, life-long learning, and nanotechnology, this book is ideally designed for educators, instructional designers, principals, administrators, professionals, researchers, and students.

Providing an invaluable resource for scholars and researchers, this book investigates positive psychology and relationships theory and research across a range of settings and life stages—intimate, work, educational, senior/retirement, and in the context of diversity. Nearly universally, relationships are a key source of what we all seek in life: happiness, fulfillment, and well-being. The experts who contributed to this novel volume apply the framework of positive psychology to the findings of relationships research across a variety of practical contexts. What actions create and sustain respectful, caring, joyous, stimulating, and loving relationships? How do people rich in friendship, intimacy, and interpersonal skills think and behave? How do they unconsciously cultivate positive relationships? This book brings together authoritative reviews, cutting-edge research, and thoughtful scholarship that serve to answer these questions and document the benefit of positive relationships in a variety of settings and across the human life span. Following a comprehensive introduction, the book addresses positive intimate relationships, positive relationships at work, positive relationships during different stages of life (in youth, in adolescence, and among older adults), and positive relationships intersecting with diversity. The chapters underscore the simple concept that relationships are central to what makes life worth living and are fundamental to well-being across all life domains as they play out at home, in school, at work, in retirement homes, and in the community at large.

An authoritative reference work, the Macmillan Dictionary of Anthropology covers the entire range of scholarship in this field, from the early ethnographers to the most recent research. This concise guide provides succinct definitions of basic concepts, summarizes key issues and the development of the major theoretical schools, and discusses the contribution of some 250 British, American and European anthropologists. Its clear and lively style enables the reader to approach such formidable topics as the works of Levi-Strauss or the influence of semiology, and all 2000 entries are fully cross-referenced and include bibliographical details. The Dictionary is an introduction for the general reader, a handbook for students of anthropology and many related disciplines, and a reference tool for academic anthropologists. It covers both physical and cultural and social anthropology, takes account of literature in all languages, and, with its wide range and high level of scholarship, is a significant contribution to the understanding of its subject.