How does our social identity and the workings of the wider society have an impact on our self-esteem, our self-confidence, our sense of empowerment, our leadership, our social visibility, and the quality of our relationships? This book presents a model for understanding people’s feelings and behaviour in a social as opposed to an individual context. It looks at these through the lens of diversity and social identity, i.e., class, gender, race, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, and so on. In particular, it makes a distinction between “oppressed” or “minority” identities and “oppressor” or “dominant” identities.

How oppression and domination operate and their effects on the well-being of people individually and collectively are examined and specific attention is paid to how this affects relationships between people of different identities. This all underpins an understanding of how people can deal with feelings and heal from their hurts. The final sections of the book look at how people can take charge of dealing with their struggles including the processes of human liberation and social change and the place of leadership in bringing about a sustainable and egalitarian future.

The book is aimed at a general readership, at those who wish to understand the origins of the personal struggles they experience. It is also aimed at social, educational, community and mental health workers and health service providers who work with such people.

Dr Seán Ruth is an Organisational Psychologist and author of Leadership & Liberation: A Psychological Approach (Routledge, 2006) and High-Quality Leadership: A Self-Assessment Guide for Individuals and Teams (Veritas, 2006). He specialises in the areas of leadership development, conflict resolution and diversity.

Series: MindYourSelf Imprint: ATRIUM

Uncertainty is currently a hot topic. As our societies have become more complex, the level of uncertainty has increased and people find they have to deal with fast changing, rapidly evolving situations and circumstances which do not fit their previous experience, where planning is difficult and where the outcomes are uncertain. The unexpected has become the norm. It can be difficult to know how best to deal with this increasingly uncertain world, Uncertainty can lead to us become anxious and feeling stressed – and we try our best to reduce it, It’s only too easy to become impatient and just want to get things ‘sorted’ regardless of the consequences. We focus on protecting ourselves from anxiety rather than looking for long term sustainable solutions to the complex challenges we face.

This book starts by explaining why uncertainty has increased, the challenges this brings and why it is likely to continue to be a feature of all our lives over the 21st century. Drawing on the analogy of navigating through mountainous terrain, the authors describe an original, straightforward, logical, and proactive way of dealing with uncertainty that helps people take personal responsibility, think more positively, and take advantage of the opportunities that uncertainty brings.

The book is timely and has implications for the way we educate and develop people generally. It draws on the extensive experience of the authors and is brought vividly to life by case studies and personal examples. It is relevant internationally for the general reader.

Rewriting Our Stories: Education, Empowerment, and Well-being harnesses the therapeutic power of storytelling to convert feelings of fear and powerlessness into affirmative life narratives. Rather than seeing fear as an outcome, we can view it as a feeling in the moment largely governed by narratives. Many of our fears are stories we tell ourselves, even if they are largely fictional and rooted in sociocultural belief systems. The result is that we often feel helpless in the face of those fears. This transformational book considers a potent antidote: by recognising our recurring negative stories, we can rewrite and transform them to achieve greater empowerment and well-being in our lives.

Throughout human existence, no matter where our place of origin or when in history, storytelling shapes our societies, influencing personal, sociocultural, educational, and public discourses that impact how we live. Creating and communicating the language of stories – to ourselves and others – enhances our innate voices and can empower us to engage in greater empathy, compassion, and possibility. Intended for educators, leaders, therapists, mental health professionals, and youth organisations, as well as the general public, Derek Gladwin offers practical and positive tools for everyone to re-author their lives.

Dr Derek Gladwin, Assistant Professor in Language & Literacy Education at University of British Columbia, has authored books on narrative, media, and eco-literacy, including Contentious Terrains and Ecological Exile. He also supports individuals and groups with narrative coaching.

Series: MindYourSelf Imprint: ATRIUM

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