Springer Dynamic Process Methodology in the Social and Developmental Sciences

All psychological and social processes are dynamic. This handbook emphasizes that reality as it details methodologies of the dynamics of single systems in all relevant social sciences. It includes a new methodology based on individual performance profiles. From the Back Cover Dynamic Process Methodology in the Social and Developmental Sciences Edited by Jaan Valsiner, Peter C.M. Molenaar, Maria C.D.P. Lyra, and Nandita Chaudhary   Reality is dynamic: filled with variables and constantly in flux. So are the physical, psychological, and social processes that make up our lives―so much so, assert the contributors to Dynamic Process Methodology in the Social and Developmental Sciences, that phenomena science often dismisses as "anecdotal" evidence are in fact the valuable record of highly individual dynamic systems. Informed by dynamic systems theory and the rich history of person-centered therapy, the editors argue that the current emphasis on phenomena as data eliminates unique human context in the name of statistical accuracy, and propose instead an idiopathic re-reading of the social sciences. An international panel of researchers provides historical bases for the study of dynamic phenomena as well as a variety of pertinent applications from daycare centers to political parties, answering bedrock questions about idiographic research (e.g., what constitutes sampling?), and offering scientifically valid methods for extracting evidence from individual cases. Among the topics covered: Systemic knowledge use in medicine and psychology. The ethnography of everyday life. Life histories as sources for knowledge. Qualitative modeling of intra-individual change. Social dynamics in complex family contexts. Dynamic methodology in infancy research. With its balance of quantitative and qualitative approaches, Dynamic Process Methodology in the Social and Developmental Sciences consolidates a growing, innovative knowledge base particularly suited to the current state of social science, and stands as a forward-looking reference for psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, and educators. About the Author Jaan Valsiner, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychology at Clark University, where he has taught since 1997. He was awarded the Alexander von Humboldt Research Prize in Germany in 1995 and is actively involved in FQS: Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung. His general interests are in the cultural organization of mental and affective processes in human development across the life span. He is also interested in psychology’s history as a resource of ideas for contemporary advancement of the discipline, and in theoretical models of human development. Currently his specific research directions include the study of young adults’ self as an autodialogic process. He is the editor of Culture and Psychology, Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, and From Past to Future. He is also the founding editor of International Journal of Idiographic Science. Peter Molenaar, Ph.D., is Professor of Human Development at the Pennsylvania State University, where he has taught since 2005. Prior to that, he was Professor of Psychological Methodology, Mathematical Psychology and Psychometrics at the University of Amsterdam. His main interest is in the application of mathematical theories to solve substantive psychological issues. Maria C.D.P. Lyra, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Psychology at Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil. She received her doctoral degree in developmental psychology from the University of Sao Paulo in 1988. Her areas of research include developmental models of mother-infant communication, emergence of self in infancy, variability in mother-infant communication, and methodological issues in the study of human development. Nandita Chaudhary, Ph.D. is a Reader in the Department of Child Development, Lady Irwin College, at the University of Delhi. Ov