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This book aims to rethink systemic intervention to enhance its relevance for supporting social change in the 21st Century. It offers a new systems philosophy and methodology, focusing upon the fundamental importance of exploring value and boundary judgements as part of the intervention process. A pluralist practice is also promoted, and the reader learns how s/he can draw upon a wide variety of theories and methods to maximise flexibility and responsiveness during interventions. Four detailed examples of the practice of systemic intervention are also provided, each of which is used to illustrate a different aspect of the methodology outlined in the book.
List of contents
1: Systems Thinking for the 21st Century.- 1.1 From Mechanism to Systems Thinking.- 1.2 From Observation to Intervention.- 1.3 From Theories of Everything to Theoretical Pluralism.- 1.4 The Structure and Contents of this Book.- 1.5 Practical Consequences for Life in the 21st Century.- 1.6 Conclusion.- Section I: Philosophy.- 2: Why Philosophy?.- 3: The Systems Idea.- 4: Process Philosophy.- Section II: Methodology.- 5: Why Methodology?.- 6: Systemic Intervention.- 7: Boundary Critique.- 8: Theoretical Pluralism.- 9: Methodological Pluralism.- 10: Mixing Methods.- 11: Learning about Methodology and Methods.- Section III: Practice.- 12: Why Practice?.- 13: Community Operational Research.- 14: Developing Housing Services for Older People.- 15: Planning for Disaster.- 16: Planning and Evaluating Diversion from Custody for Mentally Disordered Offenders.- 17: Developing Services with Young People (Under 16) Missing from Home or Care.- 18: Looking to the Future.- References.- Author Index.
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"[...]I would strongly recommend this impressive, coherent, and principled book. It could broaden the community psychologists' horizons and suggest some solutions to the kinds of dilemmas and problems that can bog us down so much."
(Mark Burton, Manchester Learning Disability Partnership, Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 13:4, July-August 2003)
