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Keith E Rice's Integrated SocioPsychology Blog & Pages

Aligning, integrating and applying the behavioural sciences

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Is Theresa May going to bring about a Constitutional Crisis?

So, after the meeting of Theresa May’s Cabinet at Chequers last Wednesday (31 August), the formal pre-G20 interview (released Sunday 4 September) and comments made at the G20, it appears we are still not much nearer understanding what “Brexit means Brexit” will actually mean in reality. Labour MP Stephen Kinnock told the Westminster Hour it was “the most vaccous phrase in modern political history”. The BBC’s Gavin Hewitt reflects similar consternation abroad: “The much-quoted ‘Brexit means Brexit’ is met with bafflement. A Washington Post columnist said it had as much meaning as a parent declaring ‘bedtime means bedtime’. The French talk of ‘le grand flou de Theresa May’, the great vagueness of the British PM.” In the meantime, in this extended period of uncertainty, hate crimes against ‘foreigners’ continue to rise, the economy flounders for the most part, investment in business & industry remains largely on hold (with threats of withdrawal by major Japanese TNCs), sterling is in freefall more often than  it is stable and savers lose hundreds of thousands via the lowest interest rates in generations. (David Cameron’s legacy truly will be one of best-forgotten ignominy!) Following the Chequers meeting, BBC News (2016c) cited former Foreign Office minister Hugo Swire as saying there was a… Read More

The Biological Impetus to Attachment

 Updated: 5 November 2022 The largely complementary attachment theories of John Bowlby (1969) and Rudolph Schaffer (Rudolph Schaffer & Peggy Emerson, 1964; Schaffer, 1996) mostly focus on the conscious cognitive and affective aspects of the formation of an attachment bond between the child and its primary caregiver (usually the mother), being in broad agreement that this is usually in place by the time the child is 6-7 months old. However, Bowlby (1958) was convinced that there existed an innate drive to attachment between child and mother and that this was adaptive. For evidence from an Evolutionary perspective, Bowlby was initially dependent on animal studies of imprinting such as those of Konrad Lorenz (1935). Lorenz had shown that animals such as geese and ducks imprint on the first thing they see after breaking the egg and treat it as their ‘mother’. (Famously, Lorenz got greylag goslings to imprint on his wellington boots, after which they would follow him around when wearing them!) Lorenz proposed that imprintability is genetically switched on and then switched off, effectively anticipating the development of Epigenetics. From this, Stephen Lea (1984) proposed that instinct gives the gosling chicks the concept or template of the mother but the environment has to… Read More

Older Comments

Comments from letters, emails, evaluation forms, etc, about my work 1998-2015. Newest comments at the top; oldest at the bottom. Go to Comments for remarks about my work from 2016 onwards. “We didn`t actually use Keith in the end but only because my daughter changed her plans and went to college to start completely new courses. Bu5r what I can say is Keith was super efficient with his communications, he considered both my daughter and my concerns in planning his first lesson – ie: that I would go for at least half the first session to see what I was paying for and check out who was tutoring my daughter. He was clear about what he needed in order to plan her lessons and his qualifications speak volumes. I am sorry we never got to actually take Keith up on his tutorship but first impressions count and they were excellent!” – Ingrid Lee, parent (2015) “Just wanted to drop you a line to thank you so much for all your help last year. We were thrilled with how well Natalie had done and she has started university with confidence in her own ability….she was only 3 marks off an overall A… since… Read More

21st Century Group

Tribute to a ‘World-beating’ Business Network written with input from Ian Lavan Updated: 12 December 2007 1988-1996    1997   1998     1999     2000     2001    2002      2003     2004     2005     2006     2007     2008     2009     2010     2011     2012     2013     2014      2015     2016     2017     2018      2019     2020    2021-2023 21st Century Group     HemsMESH     Humber MeshWORKS     Humberside MESH Network The 21st Century Group (1997-2001) was a pioneering network of SMEs (small-medium-sized enterprises) which attracted national – and even international – attention. When I joined Business Link Wakefield & District in January 1997, part of my remit was to establish a network of manufacturing and engineering SMEs. Previous attempts to establish such a network had been abandoned, usually within 6 months, in face of massive indifference from local businesses. In general, local response to training and consultancy initiatives promoted through the Business Link, Wakefield College, Mid-Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce & Enterprise and other institutions was decidedly poor. (If more than a handful of business people turned up to an event, it was considered an unequivocal success!) Yet annual surveys by Wakefield Training & Enterprise Council had revealed repeatedly a lack of innovation, competitiveness and ‘best practice’ amongst businesses in… Read More

Learner Perspectives: Older Workshops

A Look at Some Older Workshops… “Really enjoyed it. Found Spiral Dynamics quite complex – but revised it and think I’m getting there!” – Rachel Abbey,   Shipley College participant, 2017 “Very good, informal and relaxed but full of information” – Adam McDowall,  Shipley College participant, 2017 “KR created a fascinating learning environment in which learners were curious & enthusiastic to learn .With each new cited reference they posed questions to deepen and explore their own knowledge…. His enthusiasm was contagious and infected the learners. Prior to the class starting one learner reflected that Keith was brilliant before sharing with me how fascinated he was with the previous week’s learning…. Keith’s approach to valuing his learner’s experience is outstanding . He warned the students (& the observer) the previous week about the content of this week’s session. This sensitive approach to a potentially awkwards subject ensured that the environment was safe and the quality of learning was maximised…. You were enthusiastic in your sharing of your extensive knowledge with your learners who as a result described you as ‘brilliant’ and your lessons, ‘excellent’. You diplomatically and sensitively dealt with a difficult subject which resulted in students actively engaging with the learning and me having to stop myself from getting involved!” – Heather Savage, excerpts from Shipley College lesson observation report, 2017 “The course had a huge, positive effect on… Read More

2015

Master of My Own Destiny…? 1988-1996    1997   1998     1999     2000     2001    2002      2003     2004     2005     2006     2007     2008     2009     2010     2011     2012     2013     2014      2015     2016     2017     2018      2019     2020    2021-2023 21st Century Group     HemsMESH     Humber MeshWORKS     Humberside MESH Network January: Committed myself full-time to my own business. Commentary: For the first time since the beginning of 2001 I didn’t have some kind of regular employment to return to after New Year. Truth to tell, this decision had been pending ever since we had moved to Bradford in Summer 2012 which led to a massive expansion in the tutoring side of my work. January-March: Ran an 8-week version of Understanding Yourself & Others: an Introduction to Psychology for Rossett. Commentary: Although there were just 4 participants, Rossett’s Extended Schools coordinator Malcolm Howe took the decision an 8-weeker (as opposed to the planned 10-weeker) could still be viable. Despite its small class size, the class gelled well and was as successful as any of its predecessors. January-June: Supported some 21 tutees in the approach to the A-Levels and right through the relevant exams. Commentary: By May I had 22 hours of… Read More

HemsMESH

A Tribute to a Pioneering MeshWORK Project written with input from Christopher Cooke inspired by an original report by Matthew Kalman Updated: 8 October 2017 1988-1996    1997   1998     1999     2000     2001    2002      2003     2004     2005     2006     2007     2008     2009     2010     2011     2012     2013     2014      2015     2016     2017     2018      2019     2020    2021-2023 21st Century Group     HemsMESH     Humber MeshWORKS     Humberside MESH Network ‘HemsMESH’ was the first major Gravesian-oriented project in the UK. Technically, it was a ‘pilot’ – which meant in reality things were being tried out as the project went along – which also meant that it was an awesome learning experience for all involved! There was never any official ‘follow-on – but the project was far from a failure as all the key figures in the project went onto to further work with the principles involved. Indeed, for many years afterwards Christopher ‘Cookie’ Cooke, the project leader, carried out work with both individuals and agencies that were involved in it. It also brought to a climax a remarkable 3 years which had seen Wakefield Training & Enterprise Council and Business Link Wakefield & District, 2 organisations rooted in BLUE bureaucracy, not… Read More

Bibliography S

A    B    C    D    E    F    G    H    I    J    K    L    M    N    O    P-Q    R    S     T     U    V    W    X-Y-Z Sabbioni, M E E (1991): ‘Cancer and Stress: a Possible Role for Psychoneuroimmunology in Cancer Research?’ in Cary Cooper & Maggie Watson (eds): ‘Cancer and Stress: Psychological, Biological and Coping Studies’ (Wiley, Chichester) Sachs, Jeffrey (2005): ‘Why Aid does work’ (BBC News) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4210122.stm (Accessed: 01/01/17) Sachs, Jeffrey (2011): ‘Stop this Race to the Bottom on Corporation Tax’ in Financial Times (28 March) Sachs, Wolfgang, Reinhard Loske & Manfred Linz (1998): ‘Greening the North: a Post-Industrial Blueprint for Ecology and Equity’ (Zed Books, London) Saggar, Shammit & Joanna Drean (2001): ‘British Public Attitudes and Ethnic Minorities’ (Performance & Innovation Unit, Cabinet Office, London) Sagi, Abraham, Marinus Van Ijzendoorn, Ora Aviezer, Frank Donnell & Ofra Mayseless (1994): ‘Sleeping out of home in a Kibbutz Communal Arrangement: It makes a Difference for Infant-Mother Attachment’ in Child Development 65/4 Sagi, Abraham, Marinus Van IJzendoorn & Nina Koren-Karie (1991): ‘Primary Appraisal of the Strange Situation: a Cross-Cultural Analysis of Preseparation Episodes’ in  Developmental Psychology 27/4 Sahlins, Marshall (1997): ‘The Original Affluent Society’ in Majid Rahnema, Victoria Bawtree (eds): ‘The Post Development Reader’… Read More

Bibliography R

A    B    C    D    E    F    G    H    I    J    K    L    M    N    O    P-Q    R    S     T     U    V    W    X-Y-Z Radcliffe-Brown, Alfred (1952): ‘Structure and Function in Primitive Society: Essays & Addresses’ (Cohen & West, London) Rafiq, Arif (2015): ‘Islamic State goes Official in South Asia’ in The Diplomat (4 February) Rahe, Richard, Robert Biersner, David Ryman & Ransom Arthur (1972): ‘Psychosocial Predictors of Illness Behaviour and Failure in Stressful Training’ in Journal of Health & Social Behaviour 13/4 Rahe, Richard, Jack Mahan & Ransom Arthur (1970): ‘Prediction of Near-Future Health Change from Subjects’ Preceding Life Changes’ in Journal of Psychosomatic Research 14/4 Rahe, Richard, Merle Meyer, Michael Smith, George Kjaer & Thomas Holmes (1964): ‘Social Stress and Illness Onset’ in Journal of Psychsomatic Research #8 Rahnema, Majid (1997): ‘Introduction’ in Majid Rahnema & Victoria Bawtree (eds): ‘The Post-Development Reader’ (Zed Books) London) Raine, Adrian (1993): ‘The Psychopathology of Crime: Criminal Behaviour as a Clinical Disorder’ (Academic Press, Waltham MA) Raine, Adrian, Monte Buchsbaum & Lori LaCasse (1997): ‘Brain Abnormalities in Murderers indicated by Positron Emission Tomography’ in Biological Psychiatry #42 Raine, Adrian, Reid Melroy, Susan Bihrle, Jackie Stoddard, Lori LaCasse & Monte Buchsbaum  (1998): ‘Reduced Prefrontal and Increased Subcortical Brain… Read More

Bibliography O

A    B    C    D    E    F    G    H    I    J    K    L    M    N    O    P-Q    R    S     T     U    V    W    X-Y-Z O’Carroll, Lisa (2019): ‘Economy could be 9% weaker under No-Deal Brexit, Government says’ in The Guardian (26 February) O’Grady, Sean (2016): ‘Even though We voted for It, a Brexit won’t happen in the End. Here’s why’ (The Independent) http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/brexit-wont-really-happen-second-referendum-markets-value-housing-pound-a7106996.html (Accessed: 28/06/16) O’Grady, Sean (2018): ‘Enoch Powell’s ‘Rivers of Blood’ Speech marked Him out as the Prototype Trump’ (The Independent) https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/enoch-powell-rivers-of-blood-speech-50-years-trump-immigration-right-wing-a8299211.html (Accessed: 27/04/18) O’Malley, Padraig (1993): ‘Political Interview: 11 Aug 1993: Hall, John‘ (The O’Malley Archives/Nelson Mandela Foundation) https://www.nelsonmandela.org/omalley/cis/omalley/OMalleyWeb/03lv00017/04lv00344/05lv00730/06lv00765.htm (Accessed: 31/12/15) O’Sullivan, Chris & Francis Durso (1984): ‘Effect of Schema-Incongruent Information on Memory for Stereotypical Attributes’ in Journal of Personality & Social Psychology 47/1 O’Toole, Emer (2018): ‘Brexit Deal criticised for trying to ‘cherry pick’ Single Market’ in The Nationalist (6 July) O’Toole, Finton (2017): ‘What connects Brexit, the DUP, Dark Money and a Saudi Prince?’ in Irish Times (16 May) Observer Editorial (2016): ‘Theresa May has No Mandate for her Little Britain. There are Far Greater Issues at Stake’ in The Observer (9 October) Office of National Statistics (2007): ‘Focus on Social Inequality’ (Palgrave Macmillan,… Read More