Psychology of Change: Life Contexts, Experiences, and Identities PDF
Preview Psychology of Change: Life Contexts, Experiences, and Identities
PSYCHOLOGY OF CHANGE This volume tackles the critical question of whether people change or whether they remain relatively constant across the lifespan. Much existing literature in psychology has been widely interpreted as endorsing the concept of stability. In many people’s minds the person is understood as being set in stone, as a function of early socialization and reaching a particular stage of development, evolutionary processes, or traits that are hardwired from the beginning by genes and biology. In contrast to this conception of the individual as fixed, the chapters in this volume illustrate how malleable people are—showing much behavioral plasticity. Important scientific developments in theory and research concerning the psychol- ogy of change have emerged over recent years. These have occurred at the level of brain plasticity, where an individual’s behavior can affect physiology and other internal systems, which for a long time have been assumed to be largely stable and fixed, all the way through to the impact of broader societal changes. This volume showcases these developments with the aim of advancing the psychology of change. Topics addressed include brain function, cognitive performance, personality, psycho- logical well-being, collective action to achieve social change, responses to life stress- ors, and political change. The message is clear—the culture we live in, what happens to us along the way, and who we think we are and want to be can all change people. Katherine J. Reynolds received her PhD from the Australian National Univer- sity in 1997 and is now Professor at this institution. She has served as an Associate Editor of P ersonality and Social Psychology Bulletin and Co-Editor of Political Psy- chology . Her research on the variable nature of the self-process and social identity has implications for understanding person plasticity, social influence and personal- ity processes. Nyla R. Branscombe received her PhD in social psychology from Purdue Uni- versity in 1986, after which she moved to University of Kansas where she is now a Professor of Psychology. She has served as an Associate Editor of several aca- demic journals including P ersonality and Social Psychology Bulletin, Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, and B ritish Journal of Social Psychology. Her research on intergroup relations is published in diverse academic journals, and she has edited several books concerning the role of group identities in social life. This page intentionally left blank PSYCHOLOGY OF CHANGE Life Contexts, Experiences, and Identities Edited by Katherine J. Reynolds and Nyla R. Branscombe First published 2015 by Psychology Press 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 and by Psychology Press 27 Church Road, Hove, East Sussex BN3 2FA Psychology Press is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2015 Taylor & Francis The right of the editors to be identified as the authors of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice : Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record for this title has been requested. ISBN: 978-1-138-83366-1 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-138-83367-8 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-315-73516-0 (ebk) Typeset in Bembo by Apex CoVantage, LLC CONTENTS Cover Illustration viii About the Editors ix List of Contributors xi Acknowledgments xiii SECTION I Broad Environmental Effects on the Person 1 1 Toward Person Plasticity: Individual and Collective Approaches 3 Nyla R. Branscombe and Katherine J. Reynolds 2 Experience-Dependent Effects of Genes: Responses to Stressors 25 Opal A. McInnis, Robyn J. McQuaid, Kimberly Matheson, and Hymie Anisman 3 The Age in Which We Live and Its Impact on the Person 44 Jean M. Twenge 4 Psychological Metamorphosis: Understanding the Effects of Institutions, Roles, and Dramatic Social Change on Individuals 59 Serge Guimond and Roxane de la Sablonnière vi Contents 5 Exposure to Political Violence and Political Behavior: Psychological Mechanisms of Transformation 77 Daphna Canetti and Miriam Lindner SECTION II The Person Across Time, Contexts, and Categorizations 95 6 A Functional Perspective on Personality Trait Development 97 Dustin Wood and Jaap J. A. Denissen 7 Emotion in Adulthood: What Changes and Why? 116 Derek M. Isaacowitz and Kimberly Livingstone 8 Social Determinants of Cognitive Change: Identity Processes as the Source of Both Enhancement and Decline 133 Catherine Haslam, S. Alexander Haslam, and Jolanda Jetten 9 Designing and Evaluating Behavior-Change Interventions to Promote Health 151 Sarah Denford, Charles Abraham, Jane Smith, Jenny J. Lloyd, Mathew White, Mark Tarrant, Katrina Wyatt, Colin Greaves, and Sarah Dean 10 Does Education Really Change Us? The Impact of School-Based Social Processes on the Person 170 Katherine J. Reynolds, Emina Subašić, Eunro Lee, David Bromhead, and Karen Tindall SECTION III Shifts in Meaning, Behavior, and Identities 187 11 Situations Change Thought and Behavior Through Metaphor 189 Mark J. Landau and Lucas A. Keefer 12 Prosocial Behavior and Person Change 209 Lara B. Aknin 13 The Dynamic Nature of Identity: From the Brain to Behavior 225 Dominic J. Packer and Jay J. Van Bavel Contents vii 14 Changing Identities to Change Society: Leadership as a Contest for Influence and Collective Mobilization 246 Emina Subašić, Katherine J. Reynolds, and Mariyam S. Mohamed 15 Advancing the Psychology of Change 264 Katherine J. Reynolds and Nyla R. Branscombe Name Index 283 Subject Index 301 COVER ILLUSTRATION Zenos Frudakis Freedom Zenos’s statement on the sculpture: “I was conscious that it was a universal desire with almost everyone; that need to escape from some situation—be it an internal struggle or an adversarial circumstance, and to be free from it.” (http:// zenosfrudakis.com/sculptures/public/Freedom.html). Location: GSK World Headquarters, 16th and Vine Streets, Philadelphia, PA, USA ABOUT THE EDITORS Katherine J. Reynolds is Professor of Social Psychology at the Australian National University. Her expertise is in investigating the role of the social self or social identity (sense of self as a group member—“we,” “us”) in shaping people’s attitudes, affect, and behavior. The work has direct relevance to social and behav- ioral change, including person plasticity, social influence processes, and adapting to change. A particular strength of this research is the inclusion of more natural- istic samples in schools, community groups, and organizational settings. She has published more than 80 articles and chapters, and her research is of interest to a range of policy makers. She is chief investigator on a number of large Austra- lian Research Council grants, has coedited a book for scholars and practitioners ( Understanding Prejudice, Racism and Social Conflict , 2001), has served as Associate Editor for Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin (2010–2012), and is currently Co-Editor of Political Psychology and a member of the Governing Council of the International Society of Political Psychology. Nyla R. Branscombe is Professor of Psychology at the University of Kansas and conducts research focusing on two main issues: the psychology of privileged groups—when and why they may feel collective guilt for harm to other groups— and the psychology of disadvantaged groups—particularly the well-being conse- quences of experiencing discrimination. She has published more than 120 articles and chapters, was a corecipient of the Otto Kleinberg Prize for Research on Inter- cultural and International Relations in 1999 and 2010, and received the Personality and Social Psychology Publication Award in 1996 and 2001. She has considerable experience as an associate editor (P ersonality and Social Psychology Bulletin, British Journal of Social Psychology, and Group Processes and Intergroup Relations) and as edi- tor of books for both scholars and students. In 2004 she coedited Collective Guilt:
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