The Caring Motivation
An Integrated Theory
Published on 18. February 2016
Book
Hardback
440 pages
978-0-19-991361-9 (ISBN)
Description
Caring is all around us and is manifested in diverse settings such as parenting, friendships, volunteering, altruism, mentoring, teaching, pet adoption, and gardening. The study of caring, the giving end of our relations, has been dispersed among a large variety of research paradigms (e.g., evolution, brain research, attachment theory, feminism, altruism, volunteering, parenting, social support, prosocial development, organizational citizenship behavior and sustainability) and this has impeded our understanding of caring.
The Caring Motivation is a pioneering attempt to bring the diverse research on caring together and to examine caring as a motivation from a broad perspective that relies on these very diverse literatures. Author Ofra Mayseless underscores that we as a species have an innate, biologically driven and evolutionarily chosen, yet contextually sensitive, general motivation to care, tend, empower, and nurture. Several intriguing insights emerge, and a conceptual model of caring as a fundamental and encompassing human motivation is presented. This is the first time that such a model is discussed in detail and its presentation helps us understand core common processes of caring across diverse targets as well as unique adaptations. The model presents for the first time a comprehensive view on how caring is psychologically activated and sustained and underscores the importance of life meaning and purpose in its enactment. The book also introduces a preliminary and innovative model of the universal developmental course of the caring motivational system from infancy to adulthood. This novel and pioneering view opens up exciting new arenas for research and for applications in psychotherapy, education, human growth, spirituality and religions, leadership and organizational behavior, and human sciences in general and highlights the pivotal place of care in our lives.
The Caring Motivation is a pioneering attempt to bring the diverse research on caring together and to examine caring as a motivation from a broad perspective that relies on these very diverse literatures. Author Ofra Mayseless underscores that we as a species have an innate, biologically driven and evolutionarily chosen, yet contextually sensitive, general motivation to care, tend, empower, and nurture. Several intriguing insights emerge, and a conceptual model of caring as a fundamental and encompassing human motivation is presented. This is the first time that such a model is discussed in detail and its presentation helps us understand core common processes of caring across diverse targets as well as unique adaptations. The model presents for the first time a comprehensive view on how caring is psychologically activated and sustained and underscores the importance of life meaning and purpose in its enactment. The book also introduces a preliminary and innovative model of the universal developmental course of the caring motivational system from infancy to adulthood. This novel and pioneering view opens up exciting new arenas for research and for applications in psychotherapy, education, human growth, spirituality and religions, leadership and organizational behavior, and human sciences in general and highlights the pivotal place of care in our lives.
Reviews / Votes
"The importance of care for education and society cannot be over emphasized. In her remarkable book Professor Mayseless has made a major contribution to the field. I recommend it to all with a concern for our future." --Arthur Zajonc, Past President, Mind & Life Institute, and Professor Emeritus of Physics, Amherst College"A comprehensive review and critique of research on the motivation to care. This is a wonderful addition to the literature on care theory." --Nel Noddings, PhD, Lee Jacks Professor of Education Emerita, Stanford University, and Author of Caring: A Relational Approach to Ethics and Moral Education
"This is a deep, important, and beautifully written book providing a multidisciplinary perspective on a core and definitional motive of the human essence-our capacity for empathy and compassion and to provide care to needy others. This book compels us to look at one character strength that transcends the selfish gene and provides an optimistic outlook about the future of humanity and planet Earth." --Mario Mikulincer, PhD, Founding Dean, School of
Psychology, and Provost, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Israel
"Care for others enriches our lives as human beings but is under-conceptualized in psychology. Ofra Mayseless offers a scholarly and passionate argument for care as a fundamental human motivational system. This lucid and informative book should be required reading for psychologists. It draws our attention to the origins and development of the good that people manifest in tending to others-in all its complexity." --Ruthellen Josselson, PhD, Professor of
Psychology, Fielding Graduate University, and Author, The Space Between Us
"[A]n extremely scholarly, informative, and thought-provoking book, filled with insights and extensive literature reviews. It will certainly help to put caring motivation more center stage and support those interested in promoting compassion in different social contexts. I learned much from it and highly recommend it." -- volume 61, issue 52 of PsycCRITIQUES
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 28 mm
Weight
822 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-991361-9 (9780199913619)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
12/2015
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€63.49
Available for download
Person
Ofra Mayseless, PhD, is a professor of developmental psychology at the Faculty of Education, University of Haifa, Israel and a certified clinical psychologist. She served as Dean of the Faculty of Education University of Haifa and as Head of the National Pedagogical Secretariat, at the Ministry of Education Israel. Her research spans over 80 published articles and chapters and two edited books focused on close relationships and children's, adolescents' and adults' attachment manifestations and caring.
Content
Chapter 1: Introduction
Part I - Conceptual Frameworks Regarding Caring
Part 1 Introduction
Chapter 2: Spiritual views of caring: Caring as divine
Chapter 3: Evolutionary approaches to caring/caregiving
Chapter 4: Empathic processes as key experiences in caring
Chapter 5: Biological bases of caregiving
Chapter 6: Attachment theory and caregiving
Chapter 7: Feminist perspectives
Part I Conclusion
Part II - Manifestations of Caring and Caregiving in Different Domains and Contexts
Part II Introduction
Chapter 8: Caring for familiar others
Chapter 9: Caring for strangers - conceptual perspectives
Chapter 10: Caring for strangers - examples of caring and nurturance
Chapter 11: Caring for non-human entities
Chapter 12: Caring in different social roles and contexts
Part II Conclusion
Part III - The Development of Caring and Individual Differences
Part III Introduction
Chapter 13: The developmental course of the motivation to care (ontogenic development of caring)
Chapter 14: Individual differences in caring
Chapter 15: Sex/gender differences in caregiving
Part III Conclusion
Part IV. A Conceptual Model of Caring as a Motivation
Part IV Introduction
Chapter 16: The 'caring motivational system' - fundamental, innate, complex and sophisticated
Chapter 17: The 'caring motivational system' - general, encompassing, diverse and flexible
Chapter 18: Tying the diverse conceptual perspectives together - ultimate and proximate causes
Chapter 19 : The nature of our species - conceptual and applied implications
Chapter 20 Summary and Major Contributions
References
About the Author
Index
Part I - Conceptual Frameworks Regarding Caring
Part 1 Introduction
Chapter 2: Spiritual views of caring: Caring as divine
Chapter 3: Evolutionary approaches to caring/caregiving
Chapter 4: Empathic processes as key experiences in caring
Chapter 5: Biological bases of caregiving
Chapter 6: Attachment theory and caregiving
Chapter 7: Feminist perspectives
Part I Conclusion
Part II - Manifestations of Caring and Caregiving in Different Domains and Contexts
Part II Introduction
Chapter 8: Caring for familiar others
Chapter 9: Caring for strangers - conceptual perspectives
Chapter 10: Caring for strangers - examples of caring and nurturance
Chapter 11: Caring for non-human entities
Chapter 12: Caring in different social roles and contexts
Part II Conclusion
Part III - The Development of Caring and Individual Differences
Part III Introduction
Chapter 13: The developmental course of the motivation to care (ontogenic development of caring)
Chapter 14: Individual differences in caring
Chapter 15: Sex/gender differences in caregiving
Part III Conclusion
Part IV. A Conceptual Model of Caring as a Motivation
Part IV Introduction
Chapter 16: The 'caring motivational system' - fundamental, innate, complex and sophisticated
Chapter 17: The 'caring motivational system' - general, encompassing, diverse and flexible
Chapter 18: Tying the diverse conceptual perspectives together - ultimate and proximate causes
Chapter 19 : The nature of our species - conceptual and applied implications
Chapter 20 Summary and Major Contributions
References
About the Author
Index