Psychological resilience. Governing the brain, mind and behaviour
University of Birmingham, Michael Tippett Room, Staff House
23rd June 2014, 9:00 – 4:30pm
REGISTRATION OPEN
Organisers: Jessica Pykett (Birmingham University), Rhys Jones, Mark Whitehead (Aberystywth University), Maria Fannin (Bristol University), Ben Anderson, Joe Painter (Durham University)
This seminar highlights the range of psychological approaches which have influenced contemporary public policy making in different national contexts, exploring how and why it is that particular psychological insights are used and taken up by specific governments.
Participants will focus on initiatives, policies and projects which make use of: positive psychology, flourishing, nudge, the science of happiness, wellbeing, mindfulness, neural plasticity, socio-psychological resilience. The seminar critically interrogates the political claims made in the name of broadly positive psychology; claims revolving around a discourse of hope and potential. Participants will consider what kinds of psychological and behavioural realities are omitted from these accounts.
Confirmed speakers include: Jan De Vos, Department of Philosophy and Moral Sciences, University of Ghent; Professor Erica Burman, University of Manchester; Professor Kathryn Ecclestone, University of Sheffield; Vanessa King, co-founder of Action for Happiness; Dr John Cromby, Loughborough University; Dr Will Davies, Goldsmiths University and Professor Peter John, Department of Political Science, UCL.
You can book a place, and the website also provides a full programme, speakers’ abstracts, and details of the other seminars in this series.