Behavioral Science and Psychology (R0)

This edited book presents a synthesis of current international knowledge on the topic of military veteran transition to civilian life. Understanding the transition of individuals from military institutions to civilian life is of great importance. The essential elements of transition support are currently widely debated in order to assess current practice and potential shortcomings in the intention to improve health, welfare and social outcomes for military veterans. 

This text links original research and critical commentary to public policy and practice in the area of veteran transition. Doing so through a collection of international perspectives assists in locating continuity and difference between strategies, agendas and the realities of what is actually known of the veteran’s experience.  

Chapters in this text examine the subject of transition along lines of enquiry that focus in on themes such as social justice, veteran identity and developmentsin transition agendas. Globally, many veterans face complex social issues such as low income, barriers to employment, and problems of health and welfare. Chapters take stock of the real-world issues affecting veterans and at the same time casts a critical eye over the limitations in accessing, or denial of access to opportunities, support and remedy. The veteran identity is an important dimension of enquiry here. This book looks at the relational factors between the veteran and the public, the creation of a master status and the challenges faced by veterans in transitioning into a cultural context that is saturated with imagery of what a veteran ‘is’. Chapters also seek to pose recommendations as to how the policy and practice agenda that surrounds veterans and the bridging of the gap between military and civilian life may be developed. Here authors point towards the value of knowledge, research and analysis that is underpinned by participatory strategies with veterans themselves. Forexample, seeking to establish lines of enquiry that value the voice of veterans as an ongoing and iterative dimension of developing understanding.

As violence against LGBTQ+ persons continues to be a pervasive and serious problem, this book aims to inform mental health providers about the unique needs of LGBTQ+ survivors of interpersonal and structural violence. Individual chapters analyze unique aspects of violence against specific subpopulations of LGBTQ+ persons in order to avoid ineffective and sometimes simplistic one-size-fits-all treatment strategies.

• Macro Level Advocacy for Mental Health Professionals: Promoting Social Justice for LGBTQ+ Survivors of Interpersonal Violence 
• Intimate Partner Violence in Women’s Same-Sex Relationships 
• Violence Against Asexual Persons
• Invisibility and Trauma in the Intersex Community
• Sexual and Gender Minority Refugees and Asylum Seekers: An Arduous Journey
• Sexual and Gender Minority Marginalization in Military Contexts
• Navigating Potentially Traumatic Conservative Religious Environments as a Sexual/Gender Minority 

Violence Against LGBTQ+ Persons prepares mental health professionals for addressing internalized forms of prejudice and oppression that exacerbate the trauma of the survivor, in order to facilitate healing, empowerment, healthy relationships, and resilience at the intersection of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and diverse social locations. This is a valuable reference for psychologists, social workers, counselors, nurses, mental health professionals, and graduate students, regardless of whether they are preparing for general practice, treatment of LGBTQ+ clients, or treatment of survivors and perpetrators of various forms of violence.

This book explores sexual crime and intellectual functioning. Drawing on expertise from clinical practice and applied research, the volume begins with an exploration of the theoretical and historical background to the interest in links between sexual offending and intellectual functioning. The authors then move on to discuss assessment of intellectual functioning in prison, interventions for low intellectual functioning, autistic spectrum and personality disorder. This book offers a rare insight into the phenomenon of high IQ and sexual offending, a much neglected aspect of the sexual crime literature, and includes novel research that unpacks this link. It further offers an extraordinary insight into the experiences of a person of superior IQ in the criminal justice system for a sexual offence. 

The book is relevant not only to psychologists, criminologists, social workers and students, but also to practitioners, researchers and the general public with an interest in learning about sexual offending and intellectual functioning.

In the last decade, a great variety and volume of scholarly work has appeared on mind-wandering, a mental process involving a vast range of human life, connected with “first-person perspective” and “personhood”, submental thinking, mental autonomy, etc. While different and emerging features that flow into and out of one another (second field, mental travel, visual imagery, inner speech, unspecific memory, autobiographical memory, fantasies, introspection, etc.) and negative and positive approaches seem to describe mind-wandering, we offer an interdisciplinary theoretical and empirically informed and informative overview on mind-wandering studies and methodologies oriented toward the educational field. The aim is to transform and enrich the debate on mind-wandering but also to show how theoretical arguments and research findings could inform the teaching-learning context.

This groundbreaking book, moves along three representations of developed scientific knowledge: imaginary lines, circles and spirals. The first section, “The Lines”, develops new lines of inquiry on attention (selective and sustained) and mind-wandering, the influence of age and mind-wandering, embodiment, consciousness and experience and mind-wandering. In the second section, the “Circles”, groups of Chapters on the same topic, methodology (tasks and measurement), intervention (auditory beat stimulation and mindfulness practices) and creativity, recreate a dance of interacting parts in which there are always profitable, decisive and retroactive exchanges between the information that each group or author activates. The last section, “The Spirals”, critically discusses the absence of a unified theoretical perspective, in the pedagogical field, attentive both to the processes of emergence and the interactions between parts. 

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is believed to affect one in eight children worldwide (UNICEF, 2020). This authoritative book challenges widely-held problematic beliefs about CSA and discusses societal responses and attitudes to survivors. It brings together multidisciplinary expertise from key researchers and practitioners around the world to better understand CSA in Black and racially minoritised communities and to provide recommendations for improving legal, policy and practical responses. It provides an international overview, covering theory, practice and policy and action-oriented research to determine how countries can individually and collectively work to prevent CSA with specific, vulnerable groups and in general. It also examines how intersectional marginalisation affects experiences of, and responses to, CSA. 

This essential body of work is thoroughly researched and includes first hand testimony which will deepen the understanding of students, academics, policy-makersand professionals including social workers, service staff and activists working at the frontline.

Chapter 7 is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

This brief examines various dimensions of the immigration-crime relationship in the United States. It evaluates a range of theories and arguments asserting an immigration-crime link, reviews studies examining its nature and predictors, and considers the impacts of immigration policy. Synthesizing a diverse body of scholarship across many disciplinary fields, this brief is a comprehensive resource for researchers engaged in questions of linkages between crime and immigration, citizenship, and race/ethnicity, and for those seeking to separate fact from fiction on an issue of great scientific and social importance.

• Sexual violence.
• Domestic violence.
• Intimate partner violence.
• Media Misogyny.
  
• Online trolling.
• Discrimination.
• Sex trafficking and modern slavery.
• Preventative Measures and role of men.
  

International Perspectives on Gender-Based Violence is an essential resource for researchers, clinicians/therapists, and upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in developmental psychology, family policy, forensic psychology, human rights, public health, criminology/criminal justice, and clinical social work as well as all interrelated disciplines.

2025 Society of Professors of Education Outstanding Book Honorable Mention

This book is a collection of stories and reflections that represent Chinese American leaders and depict their tortuous journeys in U.S. higher education that comes at a critical point in time. Many books have been devoted to academic leadership, but this volume uniquely focuses on subjects most relevant to Chinese Americans. We live at a time that not only witnesses an increase in Chinese American leaders on U.S. campuses but also mounting incidents of discriminatory treatment of this group. This book showcases 36 stories and reflections from past, present, and future leaders, including the five previously published stories. They represent leaders holding different ideological values in various academic fields, positions, stages of careers, professional trajectories, generations, Chinese ethnic groups, and geographical locations. The Rise of Chinese American Leaders in U.S. Higher Education makes a valuable contribution to the body of literature that has assisted countless academicleaders in navigating their careers, bringing to the forefront a distinct group of academic leaders who have been underrepresented.

Rethinking Identity Fusion presents a critique of Identity Fusion Theory, an identity-based social psychological approach to understanding pro-group extremism. It scrutinises the theory’s main theoretical claims and research methods, exposing serious inconsistencies and gaps in how the theory handles the concept of identity and in its research programme. The book demonstrates the flattening of the theory’s main concept, “identity fusion”, and the general state of confusion in the recent literature as to the theory’s claims and predictions.

In this volume the sciences of peace psychology and character strengths integrate in a substantive way to examine how the positive parts of our personality can contribute and impact each “level” of peace - inner, relational, group, community, international, and ecological peace. Readers will discover a wide range of insights, models, and scholarship; new studies conducted for this volume; and practical strategies to bring greater peace to oneself, one’s relationships, and the world.

This edited volume delves into the multifaceted field of victimology, exploring its historical roots, theoretical frameworks, and contemporary applications. It navigates through various forms of victimization, from intimate violence to stranger violence, shedding light on their prevalence and underlying causes. With a focus on psychological aspects and victim profiling, it equips readers with insights crucial for understanding and addressing the impact of crime on individuals and society.

Moreover, this book scrutinizes pressing issues such as sex trafficking and sexual offenses, offering comprehensive analyses and potential avenues for intervention. It also examines the role of forensic victimology in the legal arena, highlighting its significance in securing justice for victims.

Ideal for scholars, practitioners, and students in criminology, psychology, and law, this book serves as an invaluable resource for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of victimization and its implications for society.