Review of The psychology of eating & drinking: An introduction, Vol. 2.

Reviews the book, The psychology of eating & drinking: An introduction, Vol. 2 by A. W. Logue (1991). The second edition of The psychology of eating and drinking expands the first by three chapters. These discuss, as the author says, the psychology of eating and drinking as it applies to everyday issues. New topics address female reproduction, cigarette smoking, and cuisine and wine tasting. Following 296 pages of text, the book lists several clinics and self-help agencies dealing with disorders of taste and smell, eating, and alcohol (only one resource offered for alcohol abuse). Also, the book provides chapter-by chapter references as well as name and subject indexes. Furthermore, as the author says, the second edition updates the research-base of the original edition. Logue organizes her book into five parts, each preceded by a précis. The first three parts, which follow an introductory chapter that maps what is to come and that justifies the large number of animal (rat) studies to be presented, describe the basics of eating and drinking. Part One comprises two chapters on starting and stopping eating and drinking. Here, as elsewhere, Logue informs the reader well; by this time, one wants to work through the book. Equally as interesting, Part Two (four chapters) looks at what we select to drink and cat, and why we make such choices. Part Three (one chapter) talks about nutritive and nonnutritive substances. It concerns the interplay of what we eat and what we subsequently do. Part Four (three chapters) gets directly at the clinical issues. It explains and discusses eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia), obesity, and alcoholism. Lastly, Part Five (three chapters) addresses everyday concerns. Logue intends that the book be read by lay persons and psychologists, but I doubt that those devoid of psychology background will fully appreciate all she has to say. She also intends that the reader will come away from the book appreciating the value of the scientific method in phrasing and answering questions about why we do what we do. Here Logue clearly achieves her goal, for the reader cannot help but see what scientific thinking can bring to the understanding of the psychology of eating and drinking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Counseling and Therapy Skills.

Reviews the book, Counseling and Therapy Skills by David G. Martin (1983). The stated goal of this book is "to communicate more than an academic understanding of the principles of therapy: to give the reader skills that can actually be applied in the counseling setting" (p. vii). The first six chapters focus on the concept of empathy, listening skills, facilitative responding, confrontation, giving control to the client, and relationship issues. The second part book consists primarily of illustrations of therapy by five therapists (including the author). This material is followed by four chapters on the special topics of behavioural interventions, assessment, ethical issues, and how to conduct initial and final interviews. The author concludes with a theoretical section of four chapters in which he briefly discusses contributions by some of the "schools" of therapy, and then addresses the relationship between anxiety and distress, some theoretical principles underlying therapy, and the research evidence on the effectiveness of empathic responding. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Biological influences on criminal behavior.

Reviews the book Biological influences on criminal behavior by Gail S. Anderson (see record 2007-18037-000). The book begins with an introduction to the use of biology to explain crime, disposing of many historical and contemporary criticisms of such an approach. Although Anderson's stated goal of the book is to address primarily proximal biological influences on crime, the inclusion of a chapter on evolution by natural selection and its influence on criminal behaviour is welcome and useful. The third chapter clearly explains basic genetics, inheritance, and the link between genetics and evolution by natural selection. Genetic predispositions for behaviour, and criminal behaviour more specifically, are addressed in chapters 4 and 5. Chapter 6 addresses hormonal influences on behaviour, with an emphasis on the influences of testosterone on crime. Chapter 7, on pregnancy and birth complications, does an excellent job of addressing an important developmental window that can influence criminal behaviour. Brain chemistry and organic brain dysfunctions are addressed in the next three chapters. The final chapter addresses the influence of diet, toxins, and food additives on criminal behaviour. The book is not without its faults, however. At times, the text is quite simplistic, particularly for a target audience of senior undergraduate university students. A few important concepts were not covered in this book. For instance, the difficult concept of heritability is not defined or explained. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Anxiety.

Reviews the book, Anxiety by S. Rachman (see record 1998-07057-000). Several strong summaries of research and clinical work in anxiety have been produced. Stanley Rachman's Anxiety takes a surprisingly strong place among this literature. Rachman's summary of theory, research, and practice related to anxiety is a prize. He has managed a succinct presentation of the major problems and issues, recounted what is known, and challenged the reader with the unsolved riddles. The book includes chapters on the nature of anxiety, influences on anxiety, and theoretical views of anxiety, highlighting the importance of conditioning and neoconditioning theory, before turning to separate chapters on each of panic, agoraphobia, obsessions and compulsions, social anxiety, and generalized anxiety disorder. One of the strengths of Rachman's contribution is the overview chapters, concerned with the concept of anxiety and competing theoretical views of its nature. Even though the book is saddled with frequent, distracting typos, even some that distort the meaning, it is an excellent book that can stand as a resource in many undergraduate and graduate courses, and also can take a place on the shelves of practising clinicians and specialists in other areas. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Other times, other realities: Toward a theory of psychoanalytic treatment.

Reviews the book, Other times, other realities: Toward a theory of psychoanalytic treatment by Arnold H. Modell (see record 1990-97902-000). This book is addressed to the psychoanalytically sophisticated reader. Its introduction and 10 chapters take the reader through a history of ideas that have been postulated to explain why psychoanalysis works. Interspersed are valuable comments by Modell that include his own original contributions to the discussion. Chapter 1 revolves around Freud and Nachtr?glichkeit. Chapter 2 illuminates the paradoxical relation between reality and illusions that is manifested in the analytic setting. The concept of reality and its various levels are examined in chapter 3. Chapter 4 discusses the neurobiological theories of Edelman, who postulates that memory is not isomorphic with past experience but a recategorization. Modell sees different levels of reality as corresponding to different forms of transference. He relabels transference neurosis as iconic/projective transference and the transference derived from the setting as dependent/containing transference. Chapter 5 amplifies his remarks on linear and cyclic time. Chapter 6 discusses interpretation and chapter 7 examines the concept of resistance. Other chapters deal with the patient's use of the therapist, with paradox and therapeutic dilemmas, and with various theories of psychoanalytic treatment. Modell tries to classify contemporary theories of psychoanalytic treatment but recognizes such attempts as little more than convenient fictions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Health psychology in global perspective.

Reviews the book, Health psychology in global perspective by Frances E. Aboud (see record 1998-07478-000). Initially, the reviewer was unsure of what to expect from this book, and yet in completing it he feel humbled by the perspective it provided on international and cross-cultural health issues. The reading of this book has served to expand his definition of health psychology to include global and cross-cultural concerns. The organization of the book is logical and easy to follow. The first two chapters provide an introduction to the rest of the text. Each of the remaining seven chapters is dedicated to a specific health concern. Aboud's hope is that the reader will come to appreciate that solutions are not as simple as they might appear in the global health community and that enthusiasm must be tempered with "caution and realistic expectations." We must be careful not to stereotype other people and their problem, and recognize that health and well-being are expressed in different but entirely acceptable ways in different cultures. Courses in health psychology will benefit from the inclusion of this book. It incorporates case studies, case vignettes, and student activities along with the text in a manner that students will find challenging. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The saturated self: Dilemmas of identity in contemporary life.

Reviews the book, The saturated self: Dilemmas of identity in contemporary life by Kenneth J. Gergen (see record 1991-97621-000). There is, perhaps, no other concept as seminal for psychology as the self. For this reason alone, Kenneth Gergen's book represents an important contribution to our understanding of this influential concept. However, Gergen's vision is so broad, his arguments so compelling, and the implications so revolutionary, that the work defies confinement exclusively within the walls of academia. In essence, Gergen is articulating his vision of a postmodern world, and he lays an invitation squarely before the reader to come and partake. The conception of the self as private and autonomous is the focus of Gergen's postmodern challenge. In his chapter, "Social Saturation and the Populated Self," Gergen postulates that technological innovation in contemporary society has made possible a rapid proliferation of relationships. This he refers to as the "process of social saturation." Gergen's book constitutes a substantive contribution to psychology's on going understanding of the self. Copious examples are provided throughout, drawing on and extending scholarly debates. Also included are anecdotes and evidences from such far ranging domains as art, film, music, literature, and architecture. These not only clarify and reinforce his arguments, but also illustrate the scope and practicality of the position he espouses. Although readers may not embrace the gestalt of Gergen's vision of a postmodern culture, they are certain to find this book to be a provocative and rewarding read. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of A new psychology of men.

Reviews the book, A new psychology of men edited by Ronald F. Levant and William S. Pollack (see record 1995-97524-000). The intent of this book is to "'describe how men's prescribed roles are neither biological nor social givens but rather psychological and social constructions.'" The Theory section includes four chapters primarily focused on social constructivism and psychoanalytic (or perhaps more accurately object-relations theory) views on masculinity. The second section, Research, provides three chapters by researchers of what seem to be disparate orientations. The third section, Applications, is appropriately more practical and speaks to clinicians. The fourth and final section, The Varieties of Masculinity, samples in three chapters issues of ethnic minority males, homosexual and bisexual males, and a final chapter (by the editors) looking to the future and summarizing conclusions from the preceding chapters. The reviewer finds several flaws in this book including interventions that are not applicable and an imbalance in the authors' orientations. However, the reviewer believes that researchers may find the volume helpful in generating hypotheses and new research directions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of A disturbance in the field: Essays in transference-countertransference engagement.

Reviews the book, A disturbance in the field: Essays in transference-countertransference engagement by Steven Cooper (see record 2010-09125-000). At the beginning of this book, Cooper states that he is interested in finding the common ground, clinically, between the relational approach and other schools such as the Kleinian, Freudian, Kohutian, and others. In the introduction, Cooper states he will be examining the moments of transition, change, and newness that occur in psychoanalytic treatment. He alerts us that although he is very interested in countertransference as a clinical tool and the analyst’s imagination as helpful in the therapeutic work, he warns us to not see these elements in any heroic or idealistic manner. Cooper promises to explore the areas of unconscious conflict, fantasy, and the interpersonal process and believes both patient and analyst try to hold these dimensions in mind and communicate with each other throughout the clinical process. Overall, the reviewer enjoyed reading the book but was disappointed in that Cooper’s outline of what the reader can expect does not unfold. What is offered in this book is interesting, and at times illuminating, but overall runs somewhat flat. There were numerous places where Cooper could have taken his discussion points and tried to build a new fusion of relational, Freudian, Kleinian, and Kohutian approaches but he did not. The reviewer found it interesting that his case material seems to be a standard yet very skilled and natural combination of such views, but he does not elaborate on any theoretical matters or examine his case material as being predominantly a combination of such views. Therefore, the reviewer thinks there are many helpful and insightful points made in this book, but he was never really moved in any particular manner by the text. When reading his case material closely, the reviewer was struck by it being solid analytic work that seemed mostly of a Freudian and object relational mode, but again not anything unique or anything showing a new method of consolidating different theoretical approaches, which is what we were promised early on. The reviewer's overall reaction to this new book is that he is very appreciative of many individual chapters, and many sections of certain chapters, but they never all came together as a whole or jelled as a unifying theme that felt new and transformative. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Dynamic and abnormal psychology.

According to a statement in the author's preface, this book was designed primarily as a textbook for courses in abnormal psychology. It is the reviewer's impression, however, that it is unlikely to win a wide acceptance. His reasons for this judgment include 1) the book has grown from Professor Taylor's own course in the subject and his course seems rather unique, 2) the several chapters do not seem to hang together in a compellingly coherent way, and 3) many of the subjects introduced receive so scanty a discussion as to be unintelligible to the naive reader and simply uninformative to the moderately sophisticated reader. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Motivation and morale in industry.

Reviews the book "Motivation and morale in industry" by Morris S. Viteles (see record 1954-05049-000). Viteles' well known "Industrial Psychology" was first published in 1932, and since that time has been considered a classic, if not the classic text in the field. In many respects, Motivation and morale in industry is a continuation of "Industrial Psychology" (see record 1932-04985-000.) To a considerable extent Viteles has repeated his earlier pattern, but with a shift in emphasis from the individual to the group. "Motivation and Morale in Industry" is divided into five parts. The first, consisting of three chapters, is introductory in nature. It deals primarily with the economic man and the inadequacy of the concept that man can live by bread alone. The fifth part, consisting of four chapters, summarizes and draws together the remainder of the book as well as makes applications and recommendations. The remaining three parts, totaling sixteen chapters, comprise the bulk of the book. They deal with motivational theory, experimental studies, and employee attitude surveys. In a sense this book is too much a book of readings in motivation and morale in industry. Many of the studies are weak, but Viteles has done an excellent service in collecting these studies in such way as to illustrate the primitive status of the field. Frequently he has added his penetrating insights relative to such studies. Nevertheless, the reviewer regretted that Viteles had not taken a more directly critical view. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Language learning and concept acquisition: Foundational issues.

Reviews the book, Language Learning and concept acquisition: Foundational issues edited by William Demopoulos and Ausonio Marras (1986). This is a stimulating and informative book presenting various attempts to account for the highly regular nature of language acquisition. Although many of the individual chapters in this book are quite excellent, the book suffers from a lack of cohesiveness because: (1) the chapters vary tremendously in their complexity and completeness--some are written at an introductory level, whereas others assume the reader to have a highly sophisticated knowledge base; and (2) the editors make no attempt to tie the book together. There are no introductory or summary comments to the various sections in the book and, in fact, there is not even a proper foreword. This severely limits the usefulness of the book. Nevertheless, I would recommend this collection of readings to researchers and scholars in the fields of psychology, linguistics, philosophy, and the cognitive sciences. It contains many provocative ideas, and would be particularly useful to study in a seminar (or other group) setting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Evaluation and Criminal Justice Policy.

Reviews the book, Evaluation and Criminal Justice Policy edited by Ronald Roesch and Raymond R. Corrado (1981). Taken as a whole, Evaluation and Criminal Justice Policy provides an interesting introduction to some of the issues in the evaluation of social policy and the creation and implementation of criminal justice policies. Overall, the book is not exactly what I expected. It is not a collection of evaluation studies reported in detail. A reader wishing to learn about the collection and evaluation of data in the area of criminal justice policy is advised to seek elsewhere. The book is, however, interesting reading. Most of the chapters provide informative discussions about the difficulties involved in doing evaluation research, drawing conclusions from such research, and making policy recommendations. Some of the chapters also provide suggestions about how to deal with some of these difficulties. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The psychology of humor: An integrative approach.

Reviews the book, The psychology of humor: An integrative approach by Rod A. Martin (see record 2006-21361-000). This book is not a particularly funny read--though it has its moments--but it is a very well-written, well-organized, comprehensive reference guide to the psychology of humor. The Introductory chapter provides a nice overview of the rest of the book. Here Martin defines what is meant by the broad term humor, discusses the many forms and functions of humor, and provides a concise, informative history of thinking about humor. Martin then includes two chapters that address five theoretical approaches: psychoanalytic, superiority/disparagement, arousal, incongruity, and reversal theory. The second part of the book is organized into different psychological subtopics, which makes it very easy to navigate. This part includes sections on the cognitive, social, psychobiological, personality, and developmental approaches to the study of humor. The book concludes with chapters on the link between humor and both mental and physical health, and presents research on the application of humor in psychotherapy, education, and the workplace. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Social Psychology: An Applied Approach.

Reviews the book, Social Psychology: An Applied Approach by Ronald J. Fisher (1982). In what is probably the first of a new generation of social psychology textbooks, Ronald Fisher has attempted a very ambitious intergration of basic, theoretical and applied social psychology. My overall feeling about the book is very positive, since there is much to recommend in it. Some of the chapters, such as those dealing with social issues and social change, program development and evaluation, and organizational development, are outstanding. They are scholarly, well written and contain information that traditional social psychologists should be aware of but rarely teach. Indeed, these chapters are so comprehensive, that they could serve as good introductions to these topics for graduate students. In addition, while not being a truly "Canadian" textbook, there are considerably more Canadian examples and anecdotes contained in this book than can be found in any of the other current textbooks. My hope as an instructor of an advanced undergraduate course in applied social psychology is that if there is a second edition of this text that the author might amend it by broadening the coverage of current topics in applied social psychology while retaining those chapters that are unique to the book. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Elements of episodic memory.

Reviews the book, Elements of episodic memory by Endel Tulving (1983). Those of us who have followed Tulving's investigations in the somewhat fragmented form of journal articles are very grateful to have his ideas encapsulated, elaborated, and elegantly expounded in his Elements of episodic memory. Tulving spends the initial third of the book driving home the evidence that the distinction between episodic and semantic memory is not just that episodic is time-lagged and semantic is not: it is more far-ranging, and his new work on amnesia is leading to the conclusion that for some forms of this disorder either type of memory may be attacked but not necessarily both. The first vista that opens from Tulving's vantage point is that "systems" and "schemata" are collections of connections that derive a certain autonomy from being only loosely connected to other collections. The second vista that emerges is a psychology in which the use of numbers is rich and strange. A third vista that opens up is shielded at first by a spectre of opposition. The spectre seizes on the passage on "free radicals," in which Tulving claims that certain thoughts cannot be unambiguously assigned to either episodic or semantic memory. Perhaps the most heartening aspect of this book is that Tulving could never have written this monograph without the foundations of his experiments. It is a great relief to see experimentation validated in so invigorating a form. Nevertheless, the most difficult chapters of the book, on recognition and recall, are built on experimental findings that are not yet properly understood. I am glad Tulving did not delay in writing this book until he felt more secure about the questions raised in these last chapters: the work thereby remains a challenge rather than a fait accompli. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Peaceful measures: Canada's way out of the 'war on drugs'.

Reviews the book, Peaceful measures: Canada's way out of the 'war on drugs' by Bruce Alexander (1990). The tone of this book is conciliatory and constructive. After showing that the War on Drugs is a real war (Chapter 1) that has failed (Chapter 2), Alexander uses half of the book (Chapters 3-8) to do what, he does best--show that the underlying justifications, which might make even a futile drug war seem necessary, are invalid. In Chapter 9, Alexander finally gets around to describing his alternative Peaceful Measures, which, in the light of the data contained in the previous eight chapters, strike the reader as the soul of sweet reason. The last chapter (Why the War on Drugs continues and how it can end) is the only chapter in the book that is not based on fact and, perhaps for that reason, is the most interesting. Alexander speculates that the War on drugs persists because drugs have come to symbolize deep psychological needs, conflicts, and fears for much of society. There is much to recommend this book. The author's arguments against the present system for dealing with addicts and traffickers are compelling and the "peaceful measures" that he recommends as Canada's way out of the war on drugs are thoughtful and well supported by data, but the main recommendation of the book derives from the writing itself which is surprisingly natural and impassioned for the work of an academic. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Rediscovering psychoanalysis: Thinking and dreaming, learning and forgetting.

Reviews the book, Rediscovering psychoanalysis: Thinking and dreaming, learning and forgetting by Thomas H. Ogden (see record 2009-01395-000). Ogden has deepened our understanding of how to make therapeutic use of strong emotional reactions to our patients as much as any contemporary psychoanalytic writer. In his most recent book is an enjoyable work that is capable of affecting readers in both intellectually challenging and emotionally resonant ways. This book consists of eight chapters that may best be thought of in two parts. In the first part, we see the author looking back and sharing his vast experience as clinician, teacher, supervisor and lifelong student of psychoanalytic practice. In the second part, the chapters are more consistent with earlier works and what many readers have come to expect from Ogden’s deep engagement with the canon of psychoanalytic theory. It should be said that this book may reach its best audience with relatively seasoned psychoanalytic practitioners. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Was Walter Lippmann interested in stereotyping?: Public opinion and cognitive social psychology.

Walter Lippmann's public Opinion is much cited but little read. A review of references to Public Opinion by social psychologists over the last 20 years reveals the widespread beliefs that (1) the book focuses primarily on group stereotypes and prejudice, and (2) the concept of stereotyping originated with Lippmann. However, stereotypes, as currently conceived--as opposed to schemata more generally--do not play a central role in the book, and Lippmann did not introduce the concept (although he may have broadened it). In addition, throughout his long and distinguished career, he showed little interest in stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination. Nonetheless, Public Opinion is a seminal work in the area of cognitive social psychology and (like other little read citation classics) still deserves to be read--including, ironically, by students of stereotyping and prejudice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)