The caring motivation : an integrated theory / Ofra Mayseless.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mayseless, Ofra, 1953- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Caring.

Motivation (Psychology).

Physical Description:

xiv, 422 pages ; 24 cm

Edition:

First Edition.

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; NewYork : Oxford University Press, 2016.

Contents:

1 Introduction 1

Caring as motivation 2

Caring as fundamental 2

Caring as manifested in diverse domains 3

Individual differences 3

Why is this book necessary? 4

The organization of this book 5

Part I Conceptual Frameworks Regarding Caring

Part I Introduction 9

2 Spiritual Views of Caring: Caring as Divine 11

Christianity 12

Buddhism 12

Judaism and Kabbalah 13

Contemporary spiritualities 14

Chapter conclusion 15

3 Evolutionary Approaches to Caring/Caregiving 17

Parental care 18

Caring for nonprogeny 19

Caring for in-group vs. out-group members 22

Selective investment theory 23

Developmental processes related to caring in our evolutionary history 25

Individual differences 27

Chapter conclusion 28

4 Empathic Processes as Key Experiences in Caring 30

Evolutionary development of empathic processes 32

Empathy 33

Concern, compassion, and sympathy-the motivation to care 35

Modulation of empathic responses 37

Chapter conclusion 41

5 Biological Bases of Caregiving 43

Animal studies 43

Neurohormonal basis of human caring 44

Oxytocin in human parenting and caring 45

Oxytocin and caring in romantic relations 48

Oxytocin and caring with strangers 49

Modulation of oxytocin's effects on caring processes 51

Genetics and caring 53

Chapter conclusion 55

6 Attachment Theory and Caregiving 57

The concept of behavioral systems 58

Caregiving as a behavioral system in parenting 60

Caregiving in romantic relations 61

The importance of warmth and emotional bonding in caregiving 63

Abroader view of caregiving 65

Chapter conclusion 69

7 Feminist Perspectives 71

Caring as the sphere of women 71

Caring and mothering are not freely chosen by women 72

Women and caregiving are devalued and deemed inferior in patriarchal society 72

Mothering as a way to subordinate women and relegate them to an inferior status in patriarchal society 73

The idealistic and "natural" perception of mothering as another way of subduing women 73

Mothering as involving ambivalence-love and hate 74

Mothering as involving thinking and sophistication based on practice 74

How do women become caregivers? 75

Why patriarchal society adopted a negative evaluation of women, mothering, and caregiving 75

Masculinity and femininity 77

Reconciliation and Utopian projections into the future 78

Chapter conclusion 80

Part I Conclusion 81

Part II Manifestations of Caring and Caregiving in Different Domains and Contexts

Part II Introduction 85

8 Caring for Familiar Others 89

Caring in parent-child relations 89

Compassionate love and social support 97

Caregiving in romantic relations-an attachment perspective 101

"Caregiving"-caring for others with mental or physical health problems 108

Chapter conclusion 110

9 Caring for Strangers: Conceptual Perspectives 112

Generativity 114

Prosocial behavior 116

Altruism 122

Chapter conclusion 140

10 Caring for Strangers: Examples of Caring and Nurturance 141

Volunteering 141

Money donations and generosity 148

Mentoring 153

Chapter conclusion 162

11 Caring for Nonhuman Entities 163

Caring for pets 164

Caring for plants and gardens 168

Caring for inanimate objects and abstract entities 174

Chapter conclusion 182

12 Caring in Different Social Roles and Contexts 183

Caring in teaching and schools 183

Caring in the workplace-caring as a profession (the helping professions) 187

Caring in the workplace-caring in organizations (organizational citizenship behaviors) Leadership and caring 195

Apology, forgiveness, and reconciliation: coping with transgressions in dyadic relations, groups, and nations 197

Chapter conclusion 200

Part II Conclusion 202

Part III The Development of Caring and Individual Differences

Part III Introduction 207

13 The Developmental Course of the Motivation to Care: Ontogenic Development of Caring 208

The early incipience of the motivation to care 208

Childhood and adolescence-the powerful role of socialization 214

Adolescence-puberty, loyalty in peer groups, caring bonds, and caring in romantic relations and across differences 224

Adulthood-primacy of caring bonds and generativity 227

Chapter conclusion 232

14 Individual Differences in Caring 234

The development of individual differences in caring 235

Prosocial personality disposition 241

Multidimensionality of prosocial behavior 243

Individual differences in how people care-caring styles 245

Chapter conclusion 256

15 Sex/Gender Differences in Caregiving 257

Evolutionary and biological accounts 258

"Fight or flight" vs. "tend and befriend" approaches to stress 261

Feminist and psychoanalytic approaches 263

Anthropological and cross-cultural perspectives 264

What can we make of men's and women's caring? A proposed resolution 267

Chapter conclusion 273

Part III Conclusion 275

Part IV A Conceptual Model of Caring as a MotivatioN

Part IV Introduction 279

16 The "Caring Motivational System": Fundamental, Innate, Complex, and Sophisticated (Composition and Operation) 282

Caring as fundamental 282

The nature of the caring motivation as a complex and sophisticated motivational system 284

Kinds of involvement and care 286

Intrinsic motivation and autonomous vs. controlled regulation as part of the caring motivation 290

The importance of conscious decisions and unconscious instinctual processes 293

The interplay between the caring motivational system and other motivational systems 295

The importance of balanced and judicious enactment of care 296

The universal path of development of the caring motivation 297

Chapter conclusion 297

17 The "Caring Motivational System": General, Encompassing, Diverse, and Flexible (Similarity and Diversity) 299

Caring as a general motivation-similarity across different domains and targets 299

Caregiving targets organized as a fuzzy set 301

Diversity, flexibility, and multidimensionality-distinctions among the different manifestations of caring 303

Interrelations among the different manifestations of caring in the same person (within-individual diversity and flexibility) 308

Prevalence of prosocial predispositions and the advantage of interindividual diversity 310

Chapter conclusion 311

18 Tying the Diverse Conceptual Perspectives Together: Ultimate and Proximate Causes 313

Ultimate causation-"what for" questions 313

Proximal or direct causes for providing care-an overview 315

Different routes to arousing care: empathy, perspective taking, morality, and meaning/purpose 317

Psychological processes relevant to the formation and maintenance of caring bonds 319

Unintended consequences of caring that may sustain caring 326

The parenthood paradox revisited 330

Chapter conclusion 331

19 The Nature of the Human Species: Conceptual and Applied Implications 333

The shift in Zeitgeist regarding the centrality of care and the wish to give 334

The caring motivational system in the context of major human dichotomies 336

Caring as a reflection of our daimon 339

Caring and our sense of life's meaning and purpose 340

Caring as self-actualization 344

Caring as reflecting our spiritual core 345

Implications for research 348

Applied implications 350

Chapter conclusion 352

20 Summary and Major Contributions 355

Summary of the main tenets of my conceptual perspective on caring 355

The main contributions of this volume and the suggested conceptual model 358

Final concluding remarks 362.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780199913619

0199913617

OCLC:

944242095