Understanding Problems of Social Pathology (At the Interface / Probing the Boundaries, 33)

A social reality (including social pathology) is constantly being constructed anew in the process of confrontation of perspectives and definitions of individuals, institutions and social groups. Therefore what interests the authors of the book more than the disputes on the right definition, is the understanding of social pathology phenomena - their causes, mechanisms, and social costs. Complex and multidimensional as it is, social reality is best described from various perspectives. For that reason, a potentially interesting and fruitful interdisciplinary approach characterises the book. It contains mainly texts of psychologists who work at the Jagiellonian University in Cracow. The articles of sociologists, lawyers, and one theoretician of education broaden the horizon and thus contribute new insights to the entirety of the book. The body of articles predominantly relates to Polish reality, as well as stems from the experience of the Polish society in the period of political transformation. No less interesting are the articles on the pathology of political discourse, community-policing problems in France, and issues of social concern (victims of violence, problems of the elderly, and collective behaviour).
The volume is of interest for social scientists and professionals as well as for students.

Przemysław Piotrowski is an assistant professor at the Institute of Applied Psychology at the Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland. He is the author of Szalikowcy. O zachowaniach dewiacyjnych kibiców sportowych (“Football hooligans: On sport fans’ deviant behaviour”), Subkultury młodzieżowe. Aspekty psychospołeczne (“Youth subcultures: Psycho-social aspects”) and editor of Przemoc i marginalizacja. Patologie społecznego dyskursu (“Violence and marginalisation. Pathology of social discourse”). He has published articles on the psychology of adolescence, the conditioning of collective behaviour, the psycho-social roots of violence, and health promotion. He has also co-authored a book entitled Profilaktyka w gimnazjum (“Health promotion in grammar-schools”).