PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY SPECIAL ISSUE CALL FOR PAPERS: HEROISM AND THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE JOURNAL OF HUMANISTIC PSYCHOLOGY Guest Editor: Dr Zeno Franco, Medical College of Wisconsin, US Managing Editor: Olivia Efthimiou, Murdoch University, AUS Download CFP as PDF: https://heroismscience.files.wordpress.com/2015/08/call-for-papers_jhp-speci... OVERVIEW: Over the past two decades, psychological research on optimal human functioning has grown dramatically. Scholars have shown new (or renewed) interest in topics such as morality, cooperation, altruism, wisdom, meaning, purpose, hope, flow, human growth and development, courage, empathy, spirituality, health, public service, self-control, emotional intelligence, and character strengths. The past decade especially has witnessed a surge in research on two types of exceptional individuals and groups who best exemplify these positive qualities: heroes and heroic leaders (1). The shift brought about by the humanistic movement in psychology in the mid 20th century, coupled with the increased momentum of positive psychology in this century has substantially changed the dialogue toward human strengths (2), signaling a move away from a deficits based view in clinical and non-clinical settings. This shift ultimately gave rise to a serious re-examination of heroism from an empirical perspective (3), and the extremes of human experience in (usually) positive activity undertaken for the betterment of others. Although humanistic, existential and positive psychology overlap when examining heroism, each bring distinct perspectives and methodological strengths. This special issue of JHP seeks papers drawing on a wide range of approaches to explore heroism, including quantitative studies, philosophical and theoretical inquiry, phenomenological approaches, qualitative research, and multi-method efforts. Papers integrating contemporary research and commentary, with perspectives drawn from humanistic, existential, transpersonal, narrative, spiritual, cultural or transrational psychology will be looked on favourably. POTENTIAL TOPICS: While not representing an exhaustive list, the following topic areas highlight important research themes: -- Heroism as an authentic state and self-actualization. -- Phenomenological readings of heroism and the heroic state of consciousness, e.g. heroism and eudaimonia, synergy, creativity, holistic learning and healing, spirituality, fear (existential angst), tragedy, trauma, freedom, transcendence, love. -- The relationship between religion, spiritual traditions and heroism. -- Humanistic analyses of creative representations of heroism and hero archetypes in the popular media, new media (e.g. social media and blogs), gaming, digital humanities, creative arts. -- Heroic identity as personal and social empowerment. -- Shadow aspects of the heroic psyche. -- The synergies and tensions between humanistic, existential and positive psychological observations of heroism. -- Multidisciplinary psychological testing methods and empirical observations of heroic behaviour. TO BE CONSIDERED: authors MUST submit a 1-2 page (800 word maximum) preliminary article proposal. Authors with the most compelling proposals will be encouraged to submit full manuscripts. Details about the formal submission process will be provided at that time. Guidelines for authors can be found at: https://au.sagepub.com/en-gb/oce/journal-of-humanistic-psychology/journal200... NOTE ABOUT RELATED CONFERENCE: This special issue of JHP aligns with the inaugural cross-disciplinary conference The Rise and Future of Heroism Science, 11-12 July 2016, Perth, Australia (https://heroismscience.wordpress.com/conferences/11-2/). Presenters of high quality papers will be invited to submit a revised version to the special issue; HOWEVER, presentation at the conference does not guarantee publication in the special issue. Proposals for this special issue can also be made directly without also submitting to the conference. GRADUATE STUDENTS: Graduate students are welcomed and encouraged to submit a paper proposal to the Special Issue. IMPORTANT DATES FOR JHP SPECIAL ISSUE: --Submission of 1-2 page proposal for consideration by the JHP special issue: November 30, 2015 to heroismscience@gmail.com<mailto:heroismscience@gmail.com> --Articles selected based on best fit with the theme of the special issue and originality, and successful authors invited to submit a full paper: By January 15, 2016 --Submission of papers for peer review via JHP Scholar One system: May 15, 2016 --Deadline for author submission of revised final papers following peer review comments via JHP Scholar One system: October 30, 2016 RELATED CONFERENCE INFORMATION: The Rise and Future of Heroism Science: A Cross-Disciplinary Conference Important Dates: --Submission of abstract (approx. 300 words) and deadline to register: November 30, 2015 to heroismscience@gmail.com<mailto:heroismscience@gmail.com> --Deadline for submission of conference papers and consideration for edited volume with major academic publisher: May 15, 2016 --Conference: July 11-12, 2016 INFORMATION ABOUT JHP: The Journal of Humanistic Psychology (JHP) is an interdisciplinary forum for contributions, controversies and diverse statements pertaining to humanistic psychology. It addresses personal growth, interpersonal encounters, social problems and philosophical issues. An international journal of human potential, self-actualization, the search for meaning and social change, the Journal of Humanistic Psychology was founded by Abraham Maslow and Anthony Sutich in 1961. It is the official journal of the Association for Humanistic Psychology, and maintains a close connection with the Saybrook Institute where Thomas Greening, JHP's former editor, is a member of the faculty. You can visit the Saybrook Institute's web site at https://www.saybrook.edu/ References: (1) Allison, Scott T., Goethals, George R., & Kramer, R. M. (Eds.) (forthcoming, 2016) Handbook of heroism and heroic leadership. New York: Routledge. (2) Allison, S. T. (2015). The initiation of heroism science. International Advances in Heroism Science.1, 1-8.Available at: http://works.bepress.com/scott_allison/24 (3) Franco, Z. E., Blau, K., & Zimbardo, P. G. (2011). Heroism: A conceptual analysis and differentiation between heroic action and altruism. Review of General Psychology, 15(2), 99 Zeno Franco, PhD Assistant Professor Family & Community Medicine Center for Healthy Communities & Research Clinical & Translational Science Institute Medical College of Wisconsin (414) 955-4372 (direct)