Social policy and interpersonal relations

Screwing my courage to the sticking place,  I have added a new page to An Introduction to Social Policy.  It’s about Social Policy and Interpersonal Relations, and it includes coverage of topics including the body, terminating pregnancy, sexuality, suicide and domestic violence, amongst other issues.

The website is used around the world, but few people have noticed the new page yet – there were 21 visitors last week out of 2,730 for the whole site.  The new page covers  potentially sensitive material, and  I’ve been acutely aware that what I write has to be useful for people in a variety of cultural settings.  I’d appreciate feedback.

One thought on “Social policy and interpersonal relations”

  1. Very interesting page; nothing which offends me but I am still adjusting to this millennium! One of the experiential things I have learned in the past decade or so relates to individual consciousness, perception & interaction with others. It is impossible to explain and probably academically irrelevant. However I now know (i.e. via direct experience and not just cognition) that it is possible to hold two or more apparently “conflicting” views on the same topic at the same time. This is probably an essential quality for mediators and such like (as is good listening skills and stamina, both of which I lack). There are 7.5billion people alive (and of course people are being born and dying every day) on this planet which we have intellectually divided in to different political regions, cultures, languages etc. Thus potentially 7.5 b perspectives constantly shifting within many different self-defined and externally defined “boundaries” & cultural contexts etc. Your new page is thus an important recognition that the personal and the societal are all part of the one big mix. Another illustration is the “do as I say not as I do” dichotomy which all individuals display but is most noticeable in politicians. The left wing politician who espouses equality but is a wife-beater in private. The right wing politician who is a compassionate carer. Trump may be a gross manifestation of this conflict between emotional intelligence and the intellect? Finally, the biggest existential question in life is why are we here and what happens at death? It is rarely discussed in politics or social policy yet fear of death may well fuel much of the violence, individual and societal, in the world? I will certainly take the time to explore more of your web site. Best wishes, Ian.

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