Developing
Sociality in the 21st Century
Sociality is a profound
concept introduced by George Kelly in 1955. It involves the ability to “get
into the shoes” of another person or group, to be able to construe how they see
the world and their situation, their language
and actions, using their understandings, constructs and values. It is much more
than empathy. When persons or groups construe each other’s worlds, it
allows them to create a relationship and a dialogue of mutual understanding. Sociality
is essential for functional human relating between people, organisations,
factions and ideologies. One might argue that problems of the 21st
century -- the serious breakdown in cooperation at all levels from family and
work situations, the schisms, deadlocks and totalitarianism in the international
scene – are problems of sociality. Failure
or unwillingness to understand another person or group’s perspectives leads to
judgmentalism, misplaced advice, disempowerment, discrimination, social unrest
and violence. Sociality therefore takes on ethical
and political dimensions: We should try and achieve and promote Sociality.
In this
conference we will explore radical ways of addressing these issues:
connectivity, mutual understanding, shared values and bringing humanitarian
dimensions to discussions about people, communities and families, for example those
displaced and torn apart by conflict. These values, of course, contrast sharply
with those that usually dominate public and media discourse. We approach this
subject through the lenses and methods of Personal Construct Psychology and
Kelly’s profound notion of Sociality, his key contribution to an understanding
of well-functioning human relationships.
Personal
Construct Psychology provides us with a number of methods and approaches
designed to understand disputes, to promote Sociality and to monitor and measure
increased mutual understanding. The Conference will provide various platforms
for learning about these including keynote addresses, research presentations,
discussions, practical workshops and of course the general networking with people
from many different countries and disciplines. There is no more important time
in this new century, with its bewildering and accelerating changes,
for promoting Sociality. We would like to see delegates from all relevant
disciplines and organisations including professionals, researchers, teachers
and students to come and present their experiences and research.
We invite
presentations and papers which address the conference theme of Sociality in the
21st Century and its conceptualisations as well as applications in various
fields within and outside Personal Construct Psychology. These may include but
are not limited to:
- Applications of sociality to organisational, managerial, educational and
clinical situations
- Conflict and dispute resolution in families, teams and neighbourhoods
- Promoting diversity and inclusion in communities and organisations
- Socialisation of displaced groups and individuals into new environments
- Refugee crisis management and resolution.
Types of presentation:
- Paper (30 minutes + 10 minutes for discussion)
- Symposium
- Workshop
- Poster
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