individuals, institutions and social groups. Therefore what interests the authors of the book more than the disputes on the right definition, is the understanding of social pathology phenomena - their causes, mechanisms, and social costs. Complex and multidimensional as it is, social reality is best described from various perspectives. For that reason, a potentially interesting and fruitful interdisciplinary approach characterises the book. It contains mainly texts of psychologists who work at the Jagiellonian University in Cracow. The articles of sociologists, lawyers, and one theoretician of education broaden the horizon and thus contribute new insights to the entirety of the book. The body of articles predominantly relates to Polish reality, as well as stems from the experience of the Polish society in the period of political transformation. No less interesting are the articles on the pathology of political discourse, community-policing problems in France, and issues of social concern (victims of violence, problems of the elderly, and collective behaviour). The volume is of interest for social scientists and professionals as well as for students. Przemyslaw Piotrowski is an assistant professor at the Institute of Applied Psychology at the Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland. He is the author of Szalikowcy. O zachowaniach dewiacyjnych kibiców sportowych (‘Football hooligans: On sport fans’ deviant behaviour’), Subkultury mlodzie¿owe. Aspekty psychospoleczne (‘Youth subcultures: Psycho-social aspects’) and editor of Przemoc i marginalizacja. Patologie spolecznego dyskursu (‘Violence and marginalisation. Pathology of social discourse’). He has published articles on the psychology of adolescence, the conditioning of collective behaviour, the psycho-social roots of violence, and health promotion. He has also co-authored a book entitled Profilaktyka w gimnazjum (‘Health promotion in grammar-schools’). Contents Przemyslaw Piotrowski: Introduction PART 1 Norms and Pathology - Probing the Boundaries of Social Life Krzysztof MUDYÑ: On Constructive and Destructive Ways of Understanding Personal Freedom and Responsibility Richard JACKSON: The Social-Psychological Construction of Violent Political Discourses: Psychopathology in Political Life Emil W.PLYWACZEWSKI: The Phenomenon of Prostitution in Poland: Around the Problem of Legalization Andrzej R.ŒWIALOWSKI: ‘Blind Date with Dirty Harry ’: A Criminal Justice Dispute on the Polish -Language WWW PART 2 Problems of Social Pathology: Symptoms and Mechanisms Agnieszka OGONOWSKA: Iconic Violence: Description of the Phenomenon Piotr SLOWIK and Piotr PASSOWICZ: Juvenile Delinquency in Poland: Psycho-Social Conditions Christian MOUHANNA: Young People and Police Officers in French Poor Suburbs: The Social Construction of a Conflict Przemystaw PIOTROWSKI: Collective Behaviour: Psycho-Social Determinants Barbara PILECKA: Suicide of the Elderly Dorota KUBACKA-JASIECKA: Silent Bystanders to Violence: Social Influence or a Conflict of Identification PART 3 Individual and Social-Scale Preventive Strategies Malágorzata WYSOCKA-PLECZYK: Victims of Violence: Stereotypes and the Process of Helping Krzysztof ZAJACZKOWSKI: Prevalence of Psychoactive Substance Use among Adolescents in Poland in the Period of Political Transformation: Change Tendencies and Prevention Programmes Urszula WOZINIAK: Coping Behaviour of the Unemployed from the Perspective of Robert Merton ’s Theory of Anomie Notes on Contributors

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