Psychology, Science, And Human Affairs

These original essays, written by prominent scholars, pay tribute to the work of William Bevan. In the course of his distinguished career, Bevan has exhibited an almost unique capacity to focus a clear-eyed, critical gaze on operating assumptions and actions - his own and those of others - and to initiate consequential, constructive steps forward, both in his writing and in his deeds. Substantive contributions in their own right, these essays convey the range and reach of Bevan's ideas and influence. The authors examine central themes and issues that Bevan has addressed in his own work, such as the social and human dimensions of science; the nature-nuture controversy; cognition and psychodynamics; applications for clinical, forensic, and organizational psychology; behavioral science and the political process; and the problem of specialization and fragmentation within the discipline. Including an afterword by Bevan as well as one of his key essays, the book reveals how Bevan has placed landmarks and posed challenges across the landscape of psychological thought. Traversing this diverse terrain will be well worth the reader's time, for established scholars as well as for students in psychology and in other social science disciplines.