Patricia Neville
Patricia Neville studied Sociology at University College Cork, gaining a BA(1997) and MA(1998) in Sociology. In 2004 she completed her Doctoral thesis at the University of Limerick, Ireland entitled ‘Popular Psychology and the Search for Ethical Life Strategies in Contemporary Secular Societies’ with Dr Carmen Kuhling (UL) and Prof Frank Furedi as external examiner. This thesis set out to document the popularity of popular psychology goods and services (e.g. self-help books and tapes, seminars, workshops, therapists etc.) and used a cultural-interpretative framework to develop qualitative research on the consumption of popular psychology, both as an individual leisure practice as well as an extensive global cultural industry.
Since then she has worked at a variety of universities in Ireland, lecturing Sociology on a variety of undergraduate programmes. In 2011 she was a Visiting Scholar with the Department of Gender Studies, Queens University, Canada. While there she researched self-help readers in Canada. She is currently a Lecturer in Social Sciences at the School of Oral and Dental Sciences, University of Bristol, UK.
As a sociologist, she has a variety of research interests- including formations of the self and well-being in 21st century, gender, media and community research. More recent research interests include the sociology of oral health and professionalism.
Since then she has worked at a variety of universities in Ireland, lecturing Sociology on a variety of undergraduate programmes. In 2011 she was a Visiting Scholar with the Department of Gender Studies, Queens University, Canada. While there she researched self-help readers in Canada. She is currently a Lecturer in Social Sciences at the School of Oral and Dental Sciences, University of Bristol, UK.
As a sociologist, she has a variety of research interests- including formations of the self and well-being in 21st century, gender, media and community research. More recent research interests include the sociology of oral health and professionalism.
Publications
Book chapter
Neville, P. (2008) ‘Reading self-help books’. In: M.P. Corcoran and P. Share. Eds. 2008. Belongings: shaping identity in modern Ireland, Dublin: IPA, 217-229.
Journal articles
Neville, P. (2014) ‘Librarian or counsellor?: A pilot study of the experiences of library staff in one healthy reading scheme in Ireland’, Journal of Mental Health, 28(1), 15-19.
Neville, P.(2013a)’Helping self-help books: working towards a new research agenda’, Interactions: Studies in Communications & Culture, 3(3), 361-379.
Neville, P. (2012b) Prose or Prozac?: The role of book prescription schemes and healthy reading schemes in the treatment of mental illness in Ireland, Health Sociology Review(Special Issue Lifestyle science: Self-healing, co-production and DIY Issue 21/3 publication 2012), 22(1), 19-36.
Neville, P. (2012a) ‘You’ve got male’: advice seeking behaviour in men using the online advice site www.worldweary.com’, Journal of Mens Studies, 20(3), 227-242.
Neville, P. (2010) ‘The Reading Cure?: Bibliotherapy, Health Reading Schemes and the Treatment of Mental Illness in Ireland’, International Review of Modern Sociology. Special Issue: Health and Inequalities, 36(2), 221-244.
Published conference paper
10th March-14th March 2008: “Persons, Intimacy and Love’ Second Global Conference, Salzburg, Austria. Presented a paper entitled: ‘Book marking the self: the rituals of buying and reading self-help book’. Available at: http://persons.org.uk/ptb/persons/pil/pil2/neville%20paper.pdf
Doctoral thesis
Popular Psychology and the search for ethical life strategies in contemporary secular societies (University of Limerick, Ireland, 2004) (Supervisor: Dr Carmen Kuhling, External supervisor: Prof Frank Furedi, University of Cantebury at Kent.
Neville, P. (2008) ‘Reading self-help books’. In: M.P. Corcoran and P. Share. Eds. 2008. Belongings: shaping identity in modern Ireland, Dublin: IPA, 217-229.
Journal articles
Neville, P. (2014) ‘Librarian or counsellor?: A pilot study of the experiences of library staff in one healthy reading scheme in Ireland’, Journal of Mental Health, 28(1), 15-19.
Neville, P.(2013a)’Helping self-help books: working towards a new research agenda’, Interactions: Studies in Communications & Culture, 3(3), 361-379.
Neville, P. (2012b) Prose or Prozac?: The role of book prescription schemes and healthy reading schemes in the treatment of mental illness in Ireland, Health Sociology Review(Special Issue Lifestyle science: Self-healing, co-production and DIY Issue 21/3 publication 2012), 22(1), 19-36.
Neville, P. (2012a) ‘You’ve got male’: advice seeking behaviour in men using the online advice site www.worldweary.com’, Journal of Mens Studies, 20(3), 227-242.
Neville, P. (2010) ‘The Reading Cure?: Bibliotherapy, Health Reading Schemes and the Treatment of Mental Illness in Ireland’, International Review of Modern Sociology. Special Issue: Health and Inequalities, 36(2), 221-244.
Published conference paper
10th March-14th March 2008: “Persons, Intimacy and Love’ Second Global Conference, Salzburg, Austria. Presented a paper entitled: ‘Book marking the self: the rituals of buying and reading self-help book’. Available at: http://persons.org.uk/ptb/persons/pil/pil2/neville%20paper.pdf
Doctoral thesis
Popular Psychology and the search for ethical life strategies in contemporary secular societies (University of Limerick, Ireland, 2004) (Supervisor: Dr Carmen Kuhling, External supervisor: Prof Frank Furedi, University of Cantebury at Kent.
Guest speaker
29 November 2011: Brown Bag Series, Department of Gender Studies, Queens University, Kingston, Canada. ‘From Why? to Why Not?: Re-interpreting the reasons why women read self-help books’
Conference presentations
8th-10th May 2009: Sociological Association of Ireland Annual Conference. Presented a paper entitled: 'Upside-down and Inside out: A Journey Through Researching Popular Psychology'.
10th March-14th March 2008: “Persons, Intimacy and Love’ Second Global Conference, Salzburg, Austria. Presented a paper entitled: ‘Book marking the self: the rituals of buying and reading self-help book’. Available at: http://persons.org.uk/ptb/persons/pil/pil2/neville%20paper.pdf
31st August –2nd September 2007: “Beyond the Book: Contemporary Cultures of Reading” International Conference, University of Birmingham. Presented a paper entitled: “Helping self-help books: Moving towards a sociological analysis of self-help books”.
May 2007: Sociological Association of Ireland Annual Conference. Presented a paper entitled: “Self-help books: Life, love and the pursuit of happiness in Celtic Tiger Ireland”.
September 2004: Fourth Annual Sociological Conference of Ireland, Queens University Belfast. Selected to present a paper entitled “Popular Psychology: Working towards a sociological analysis.”
May 1999: Sociological Association of Ireland. Presented a paper entitled “Measuring out life with coffee spoons: “Clare” as Irish confessional television”.
10th March-14th March 2008: “Persons, Intimacy and Love’ Second Global Conference, Salzburg, Austria. Presented a paper entitled: ‘Book marking the self: the rituals of buying and reading self-help book’. Available at: http://persons.org.uk/ptb/persons/pil/pil2/neville%20paper.pdf
31st August –2nd September 2007: “Beyond the Book: Contemporary Cultures of Reading” International Conference, University of Birmingham. Presented a paper entitled: “Helping self-help books: Moving towards a sociological analysis of self-help books”.
May 2007: Sociological Association of Ireland Annual Conference. Presented a paper entitled: “Self-help books: Life, love and the pursuit of happiness in Celtic Tiger Ireland”.
September 2004: Fourth Annual Sociological Conference of Ireland, Queens University Belfast. Selected to present a paper entitled “Popular Psychology: Working towards a sociological analysis.”
May 1999: Sociological Association of Ireland. Presented a paper entitled “Measuring out life with coffee spoons: “Clare” as Irish confessional television”.