Psyche and demos : individual psychology and the issues of population

This detailed and integrated introduction to the study of human population focuses on individual psychology rather than on the standard demographic approach. The text incorporates current knowledge about decision making and adaptation at both the individual and the societal levels as these both bear on current population problems. The authors, one a psychiatrist, the other a political scientist, integrate their respective disciplinary perspectives to connect the many facets of individual psychology, social organization, and political process which affect population growth, distribution, and structure by presenting a general model that ties individual behavior to the other levels of analysis. Throughout the book emphasis is placed on individual decision making as it affects fertility, mortality, and mobility, with a primary emphasis on fertility.

Miller and Godwin begin with a discussion of the nature of population problems, emphasizing their complexity and their inter action with other social problems related to the women's movement, the ecology movement, and the energy crisis. A general systems model in which the key element is decision making is introduced to clarify the dynamic interaction of individual behavior, population phenomena, and the influence of social institutions such as the family, education, the media, counseling, and government. The discussion focuses on the potential conflict between individual and social interests and the effects of government policy on freedom of decision making and population problems. The authors conclude by suggesting both general and specific public policy actions for dealing with problems of population.