Restoring Civil Societies: The Psychology Of Intervention And Engagement Following Crisis

Restoring Civil Societies examines the role of civic engagement as a form of prosocial behavior motivated by a commitment to higher-order norms. Civic engagement—from bystander intervention to organizing collective activity—is distinguished as a collective effort by which individuals re-institute the civil basis of society in the wake of a social rupture, whether from war, natural disaster, or other causes. Restoring Civil Societies fills the gap between basic research on social issues and the translation into social policy or program interventions.

Thomas A. Morton is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Exeter, UK. His research focuses on how people experience and express their social identities, and the strategic considerations and reality constraints that govern these processes. His work on this theme has covered such topics as conflict and forgiveness, intragroup processes, deviance and change, prejudice, and stereotyping. He is currently Associate Editor for the British Journal of Social Psychology.

Kai J. Jonas is Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. He studied social sciences and mathematics at the University of Gottingen, Germany. Since 2008 he has been tenured assistant professor at the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, publishing in international journals such as Journal of Personality and Social Psychology and Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. He has also developed, implemented and documented applied intervention programs.