Asian Perspectives On Psychology

First Published in 2009. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Silence is a key pedagogical issue in language education. Seen by some as a space for thinking and reflection during the learning process, for others silence represents a threat, inhibiting target language interaction which is so vital during second language acquisition. This book eschews stereotypes and generalisations about why so many learners from East Asia seem either reluctant or unable to speak in English by providing a state-of-the art account of current research into the complex and ambiguous issue of silence in language education. The innovative research included in this volume focuses on silence both as a barrier to successful learning and as a resource that may in some cases facilitate language acquisition. The book offers a fresh perspective on ways to facilitate classroom interaction while also embracing silence and it touches on key pedagogical concepts such as teacher cognition, the role of task features, classroom interactional approaches, pedagogical intervention and socialisation, willingness to communicate, as well as psychological and sociocultural factors. Each of the book’s chapters include self-reflection and discussion tasks, as well as annotated bibliographies for further reading.

Asian Perspectives in Counselling and Psychotherapy considers what exactly cross-cultural counselling and psychotherapy mean. Topics covered include: * a detailed analysis of the concept of culture, and the relationship between culture and therapy * a comparative study of Western cultures and Eastern cultures * the historical development of counselling and psychotherapy in Western countries * the controversies related to the problem of 'matching' clients with therapists. Illustrated by stimulating case studies, the theoretical knowledge and practical advice presented in Asian Perspectives in Counselling and Psychotherapy will be invaluable reading to all practising and training counsellors and psychotherapists.

This book brings together state-of-the-art research on successful aging in Asian populations and highlights how the factors that contribute to successful aging differ from those in the West. It examines the differences between the Asian and Western contexts in which the aging process unfolds, including cultural values, lifestyles, physical environments and family structures. In addition, it examines the question of how to add quality to longer years of life. Specifically, it looks at ways to promote health, preserve cognition, maximize functioning with social support and maintain emotional well-being despite inevitable declines and losses. Compared to other parts of the world, Asia will age more quickly as a result of the rapid socioeconomic developments leading to rising longevity and historically low fertility rates in some countries. These demographic forces in vast populations such as China are expected to make Asia the main driver of global aging in the coming decades. As a result, researchers, professionals, policymakers, as well as the commercial sector, in both East and West, are increasingly interested in gaining a deeper understanding of aging in Asia.

This volume presents ways of thinking dramatically different from mainstream psychology, which is seen by many as primarily a product of Western civilization. Asian social psychologists in this edited collection apply Asian perspectives to issues of major concern in their societies, including parental beliefs about shame and moral socialization in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the United States; achievement motivation in Taiwan and the United States; and the effects of school violence on the psychological adjustment of Korean adolescents. Other chapters examine the role of social psychologists in Confucian societies, and group dynamics in Japan. The authors believe psychological research using an indigenous approach will enable Asian as well as non-Asian psychologists to understand the cognitions and behaviors of Asian people more accurately. Scholars and students interested in Asian psychology, social, cultural and cross-cultural psychology will find this volume of interest.

Despite diverse, rich cultural traditions and abundant economic opportunity, there has been a paucity of research on psychology in Southeast Asia. This book aims to fill that gap, with a series of well-written theoretical and empirical chapters by PhD psychologists in SE Asia along with respected international colleagues and co-authors from around the globe. In particular this book focuses upon critical sociocultural, clinical, and health issues and perspectives in psychology in Southeast Asia. Overviews help contextualize the cultural data, permitting nuanced examination of significant psychological issues in nations such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, and more. Psychologists and mental health professionals with interests in Asia will find this book to be a must-read, as will other readers seeking to deepen their cultural and international understanding.

Education, East and West, is today mostly Western in orientation. Asian perspectives remain relatively unrepresented in curricula, pedagogy and administrative structures. This volume has brought together authors researching in Asia who redress this imbalance and describe what the West can learn from the East. Topics covered include conceptions of and approaches to effective learning and teaching, self-regulated learning, perceived causes of success and failure, valuing of education, peer influences and classroom behavior, creativity, teacher commitment, class size, motivation, future goals, and other influences on effective learning. Shared insights from the research and theorizing presented should provide a fascinating perspectives for educators and administrators charged with providing cutting-edge, research-based educational best practices in diverse cultural and social environments internationally.

This book celebrates the scholarly achievements of Prof. David A. Watkins, who has pioneered research on the psychology of Asian learners, and helps readers grasp the cognitive, motivational, developmental, and socio-cultural aspects of Asian learners learning experiences. A wide range of empirical and review papers, which examine the characteristics of these experiences as they are shaped by both the particularities of diverse educational systems/cultural milieus and universal principles of human learning and development, are showcased. The individual chapters, which explore learners from fourteen Asian countries, autonomous regions, and/or economies, build on research themes and approaches from Prof. Watkins’ research work, and are proof of the broad importance and enduring relevance of his seminal psychological research on learners and the learning process.

This volume celebrates the visions of a more equitable global psychology as inspired by the late Professor K. S. Yang, one of the founders of the indigenous psychology movement. This unprecedented international debate among leaders in the field is essential for anyone who wishes to understand the movement from within—the thinking and the vision of those who are the driving forces behind the movement. This book should appeal to scholars and students of psychology, sociology, anthropology, ethnology, philosophy of science, and postcolonial studies.