This innovative text sheds light on how people work -- why they sometimes function well and, at other times, behave in ways that are self-defeating or destructive. The author presents her groundbreaking research on adaptive and maladaptive cognitive-motivational patterns and shows: * How these patterns originate in people's self-theories * Their consequences for the person -- for achievement, social relationships, and emotional well-being * Their consequences for society, from issues of human potential to stereotyping and intergroup relations * The experiences that create them This outstanding text is a must-read for researchers in social psychology, child development, and education, and is appropriate for both graduate and senior undergraduate students in these areas.

This book is about our understanding of the self and of narcissism, healthy and unhealthy, over the course of history. It focuses on modern developments from the philosophical debates of the 17th century to the 1990s and presents a combination of the philosophical, psychological and psychoanalytic traditions of understanding the self.

"Among the most influential models in contemporary behavioral science, self-determination theory (SDT) offers a broad framework for understanding the factors that promote human motivation and psychological flourishing. In this authoritative work, SDT cofounders Richard M. Ryan and Edward L. Deci systematically review the theory's conceptual underpinnings, empirical evidence base, and practical applications across the lifespan. Ryan and Deci demonstrate that supporting people's basic needs for competence, relatedness, and autonomy is critically important for virtually all aspects of individual and societal functioning."--Jacket.

In Kierkegaard's Romantic Legacy, Anoop Gupta develops an original theory of the self based on Kierkegaard's writings. Gupta proceeds by historical exegesis and considers several important ways of thinking about self outside of the natural sciences. His study moves theories of the self from theology toward sociology, from a God-relationship to a social one, and illustrates how a loss in theological underpinnings partly contributes to the rise in the popularity of cultural relativism. By drawing on Kierkegaard's writings, Gupta develops a metaphysical account of the self that provides an alternative to the idea that there is no such thing as human nature. Keywords: Kierkegaard; Philosophy; Theory of self; Metaphysics; Theology; Sociology

"The first edition of this book brought difficult questions about selfhood together with equally awkward issues of power and the ′social′. Not since Mead or Goffman, perhaps, had this been attempted in such a useful way, and in such an assured and accessible text... This completely reworked second edition retains all of these virtues, and takes the original analysis into new territory, not least with new chapters on gender and class... If you′re interested in identity - particularly how identity ′works′ - this book is essential reading". - Richard Jenkins, Professor of Sociology, Sheffield University "A foundational book, beautifully framed for this new century. The old theories of self and identity must be revisited in these times of global and cultural transformation. What kinds of selves are now available to us? Which theories best help us make sense out of who we are today. Burkitt brilliantly charts a path through this complex set of issues, and we owe him a huge debt for doing so". - Norman K. Denzin, Distinguished Research Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign This new, completely revised version builds on the popular success of the first edition. It seeks to answer the basic social question of ′who am I?′ by developing an understanding of self-identity as formed in social relations and social activity. Comprehensive, jargon-free and authoritative, it will be required reading on courses in self and society, identity and personality formation.

Do we have introspective access to our own thoughts? Peter Carruthers challenges the consensus that we do: he argues that access to our own thoughts is always interpretive, grounded in perceptual awareness and sensory imagery. He proposes a bold new theory of self-knowledge, with radical implications for understanding of consciousness and agency.

A portrait in subjectivity theories and its relevance to debates in contemporary culture What am I referring to when I say "I"? This little word is so easy to use in daily life, yet it has become the focus of intense theoretical debate. Where does my sense of self come from? Does it arise spontaneously or is it created by the media or society? This concern with the self, with our subjectivity, is now our main point of reference in Western societies. How has it come to be so important, and what are the different ways in which we can approach an understanding of the self? Nick Mansfield explores how our notions of subjectivity have developed over the past century. Analyzing the work of key modern and postmodern theorists such as Freud, Foucault, Nietzsche, Lacan, Kristeva, Deleuze and Guattari, and Haraway, he shows how subjectivity is central to debates in contemporary culture, including gender, sexuality, ethnicity, postmodernism, and technology.