Applied Jewish Values in Social Sciences and Psychology ― Ideas in Social Sciences and Psychology

This volume interweaves concepts and methods from psychology with Jewish ideas and practices in order to address contemporary social issues. This volume brings together pioneering research from scholars in psychology, social work and religious studies, integrating insights from Jewish texts and practices with the methods and concepts of the social sciences psychology and the social sciences to create interventions that promote the well-being of children, adults, families, communities and society. Divided into three sections, Jewish Ideas in Education, Jewish Ideas in Psychological settings and Jewish Ideas and Society, the contributors to this book show that these ideas can bring about positive change in the lives of people and their communities.

Michael Ben-Avie, Ph.D. is a researcher with the Yale University Child Study Center and director of assessment at Southern Connecticut State University. He is a nationally-recognized expert on public education and co-editor of six books on educational change and youth development (with James. P. Comer, M.D., Associate Dean of the Yale School of Medicine and colleagues). In 2005, Dr Ben-Avie was accepted for inclusion in the U.S. Department of Education Registry of Evaluation Researchers. He conducted outcome evaluations of many federal and philanthropic grants on the learning and development of youth, emerging literacy and language development among preschool children, students and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders, the elderly and schools that serve low-income, minority students. He currently is on Connecticut’s Autism Spectrum Disorder Advisory Council’s subcommittee to improve and expand access to training, consultation and learning opportunities for providers, processionals, and families.

Yossi Ives, Ph.D., is the Founder and Chairman of Tag International Development and Tag Institute for Social Development (www.tagdevelopment.org). He is the author of Goal-Focused Coaching (with Elaine Cox, 2012, Routledge), There Must be a Better Way; Seder Hishtalshelut (a Hebrew work on Kabbalistic cosmology); and the soon-to-be-published book Relationship Coaching.

Kate Loewenthal Ph.D. is Professor Emeritus in Psychology at Royal Holloway, University of London, Professor of Abnormal Psychology at New York University in London and a Visiting Professor (in Psychology of Religion) at Glyndwr University, Wales and Heythrop College, University of London. Her research interests are in religion, culture and mental health, and she has published over 100 papers and several books, including Religion, Culture and Mental Health (Cambridge University Press, 2007). She is an editor of the journal Mental Health, Religion and Culture.