Delta Theory and Psychosocial Systems: The Practice of Influence and Change - Hardcover

Tharp, Roland G.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1107014913 ISBN 13: 9781107014916

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2011

Synopsis

Delta Theory establishes the foundation for a true scientific applied psychology, a theory of how human influence induces change in others. Delta Theory is unified and universal, applying to all cultures, historical periods, and goals for change. It integrates concepts and research from psychology, sociology, anthropology, evolution theory, philosophy, psychoneurology, cognitive science, and cultural-historical-activity theory. Yet Delta Theory is clear, economical, and elegant, with a full exposition of tactics for its practices. Rich examples are drawn from professional practices, but also from the creation and operations of criminals, healing ceremonies of indigenous peoples, and cross-species comparisons. This book ultimately seeks to describe how influence works, how it could be improved, and how it can be resisted.

About this title

About the Author

Roland Tharp is Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the Universities of Hawaii, Manoa and California, Santa Cruz. He has also taught at the University of Arizona, Stanford University and the University of Greenland. Tharp is the director of the national Center for Research on Education, Diversity, and Excellence. He has done extensive fieldwork with indigenous people, including Mayan, Polynesian, Navajo, Zuni and Inuit. Tharp is the author or co-author of the books Behavior Modification in the Natural Environment, Rousing Minds to Life, Teaching Transformed and Self-Directed Behavior. His articles have appeared in such journals as American Psychologist, American Anthropologist and Psychological Bulletin, among others. He is the laureate of the Grawemeyer Prize in Education, the Hopwood Award (Major, in Poetry), the University of Michigan and has held the Frost Fellowship of the Bread Loaf School of English, Middlebury College.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1107014913
• ISBN 13: 9781107014916
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 206