The Routledge International Handbook of Dialectical Thinking

The Routledge International Handbook of Dialectical Thinking is a landmark volume offering a multi-disciplinary compendium of the research, theory and practice that defines dialectical thinking, its importance and how it develops over the lifespan. For the first time, this handbook brings together theory and research on dialectical thinking as a psychological phenomenon from early childhood through the human lifespan. Grounding dialectical thinking in multiple philosophical traditions stemming from antiquity, it explores current psychological models of such thought patterns and shows how these can be applied in everyday life and across multiple disciplines, including philosophy, physics, mathematics and international relations. The handbook explains the nature of dialectical thinking, why it is important and how it can be developed in children and in adults. It concludes with a final chapter depicting a discussion among the authors, exploring the question "how could dialectical thinking be the antidote to dogma" Written by a group of international scholars, this comprehensive publication is an essential reference for researchers and graduate students in psychology and the social sciences, as well as scholars interested in integrating different perspectives and issues from a wide variety of disciplines.

Nick Shannon is a British Chartered Occupational Psychologist who consults with a wide variety of private and public sector organizations seeking to develop the strength of their leadership by providing human resource consulting, executive assessment, coaching, mentoring and senior team facilitation. Michael F. Mascolo, PhD, is a Professor of Psychology at Merrimack College and the Academic Director of Compass, a year-long self-cultivation program for first-year college students. His work focuses on the elaboration of a relational-developmental understanding of what it means to be human. Anastasia Belolutskaya is the Head of the Laboratory of Professional Competence Assessment and Adult Development at Moscow City University (Research Institute of Urban Studies and Global Education) and has a PhD in psychology. She is also a lecturer at Lomonosov Moscow State University (Psychological Department).

INTRODUCTION PART I: DIALECTICAL THINKING: ORIGINS AND THEORIES Dialectical Thinking: Historical, Philosophical and Psychological Origins 1. Dialectical Thinking from Antiquity to the Present 2. The History of Dialectics in Russia 3. Historical Problems of Dialectic and Dialectical Thinking Perspectives on Dialectical Thinking 4. Dialectical Thinking and Structural Dialectical Analysis 5. Dialectical Thinking as a Post-Formal Organization of Human Thought and Action 6. Internal Relations as the basis of Dialectics 7. Chinese Dialectical Thinking - The Harmonization of Opposites 8. Dialectical Thinking is the Pinnacle of Human Intellect: Bridging East and West PART II: DIALECTICAL THINKING: APPLICATIONS Dialectical Thinking Within and Across Disciplines 9. Dialectical Constructivism: The Contributions of Charles S. Peirce and George A. Kelly to Dialectical Thinking 10. Ethics and Dialectical Thinking: A Model for Analyzing and Resolving Value Conflicts 11. Dialectics and Myth: Logical Structures and Cognitive Processes in Mythology 12. Nonlinear Quantum Physics and Dialectical Thinking 13. Dialectical Thinking in Mathematics 14. Transdisciplinarity, Complexity Thinking and Dialectics: Developing Science and Academia between, across and beyond the Disciplines 15. The Role of Paradox and Dialectical Thinking in Individual and Organizational Decision-Making 16. Dialectical Consulting in Organizations 17. Dialectical Behavior Therapy: Using Dialectics to Treat People who are Suicidal and Self-Harming 18. Dialectics and the Metaphysical Assumption of the 'State of Nature' in International Relations19. Toward a More Collaborative Democracy: Bridging Political Divides through Dialectical Problem-Solving PART III: THE DEVELOPMENT OF DIALECTICAL THINKING IN INDIVIDUALS The Development of Dialectical Thinking 20. The Development and Amplification of Dialectical Thinking in Preschoolers 21. Dialectical Thinking and Creativity 22. Assessing Dialectical Thinking in Children 23. Training Adults in Dialectical Thinking 24. A Neuropsychological Model of Dialectical Thinking and Its Development 25. The Development of Dialectical Thinking: An Integrative Relational Systems Approach PART IV: DIALECTICAL THINKING AND THE FUTURE 26. Dialectical Thinking as the Antidote to Dogma: A Discussion Among Authors