Review of Readings in social psychology: Classic and Canadian contributions.

Reviews the book, Readings in social psychology: Classic and Canadian contributions edited by Brian Earn and Shelagh Towson (1986). Earn and Towson argue that students should know that social psychology is an active discipline with significant contributions from their own nation, that there are areas of research of particular relevance to the Canadian context, and that they should be able to gain from incidental learning about their own society. The format of the book is rather conventional. Readings are grouped into content areas: social motives (aggression and altruism), social influence, attitudes, social interactions (attraction and loneliness), attribution and cognition, ethnic relations, prejudice, and applications (TV influence, social support, law). It includes contributions by many of the most prominent social psychologists in Canada, and several "classic" papers by U.S. social psychologists. As one who has long regretted the fact that we are compelled to teach social psychology with only foreign materials, the reviewer welcomes the publication of this book. The reviewer hopes that in the second edition the editors take more seriously the purpose of a book of readings, and set out to communicate to undergraduate students what social psychological research is all about. The reviewer also hopes that the publisher is able to produce a volume that looks more professional and is easier to read. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of A critical psychology.

Reviews the book, A critical psychology by Edmund V. Sullivan (1984). Sullivan examines three metaphors as the basis for developing a proper psychology. He rejects the mechanical and the organic metaphors as reductionistic and too limiting as a basis for understanding man, and advances what he calls the personal metaphor. By this he means personhood-Iness embedded in culture. This has to do with I, the agent and my projects, embedded in a determining social structure in the background. Although there is much discussion about this metaphor, its meaning is never made as explicit as the two he rejects. This book will be difficult for the typical psychologist to read because the author introduces a lot of strange terminology, and he doesn't communicate in the usual way. He writes more like an old-time philosopher or a theologian, or one of the other humanities experts--like someone dealing with the ineffable, which may well be the case. While the reviewer is in agreement with most of the author's criticisms of contemporary psychology, such as it is not a coherent discipline, not enough attention is paid to methodology other than experimental, and more attention should be paid to philosophical issues, the reviewer sees no reason to adopt his alternative. The trouble with critics such as Sullivan is that they don't demonstrate how we should go about the business of doing psychology--they merely talk about it. And until those who want an alternative clearly demonstrate what their alternative looks like, nothing will change. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Annals of theoretical psychology.

Reviews the book, Annals of theoretical psychology by Joseph R. Royce and Leendert P. Mos (1984). Annals of theoretical psychology is another publication of the Centre for Advanced Study in Theoretical Psychology of the University of Alberta. The aim of Annals is to provide an outlet for psychologists and others interested in "substantive theory, metatheory, or a mixture thereof" (p. xv). The book itself has no single unifying theme beyond the interest in theory and metatheory that all contributors profess. In fact, this reviewer was impressed by the importance of a commitment to a general theoretical framework--or even ideology--for most contributors (e.g., Bindra, Henle, Weimer, Rozeboom, Eysenck) and the difficulties of communicating across different viewpoints. Nevertheless, this publication, particularly if it appears on an annual basis, may provide a valuable service to psychologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Art and Visual Perception.

Reviews the book "Art and visual perception," by Rudolph Arnheim (see record 1955-03680-000). In reading this book, one realizes why more psychologists have not been concerned with art. Art is a technical specialty in its own right and one must be expert both in psychology and in either creative art or the history of art to write on art. Arnheim's book brings the scientific knowledge of a trained psychologist to bear on the fundamental problems of visual art as it has developed through the ages. The discussion is always with reference to concrete works of art. Many original drawings, diagrams, and figures illustrate basic principles and important points. The writing is superb. The book is full of penetrating insights into questions of art and also into many problems of concern to the psychologist. Fundamentally this book is an argument against the usual art historian's approach, so well described by Arnheim as the purely subjective point of view, that what a person sees in a work of art "depends entirely on who he is, what he is interested in, what he has experienced in the past, and how he chooses to direct his attention". A book which reflects so well the author's urbanity, catholicity, and keenness of mind, as well as his technical grasp of the scientific and the artistic, is no small achievement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Intensive group psychotherapy.

Reviews the book, Intensive group psychotherapy by George R. Bach (1954). According to the reviewer, as a new addition to the rapidly increasing body of literature on group psychotherapy, this volume contains a number of unique features that will certainly command the attention of clinical and social psychologists. It is first of all a concrete and highly practical presentation of group psychotherapy as practiced privately with neurotic patients. The reviewer states that in this respect, it should fill a growing need for work dealing with private group treatment, a field that seems to have some interesting social implications. In addition to this more practical feature, this book is unusual because it is one of the first in this area which includes an attempt to apply the technical developments in group dynamics evolved by the social psychologists directly to the therapeutic treatment of character disorders, hysterics, and other neurotic patients frequently encountered in private practice. The reviewer states that the greatest direct appeal of this book will certainly be the clearly written first half which deals with practical problems of group therapy. The second half of the book opens with an extensive and interesting discussion of a theory of "contact psychology" and group life. In this reviewer's opinion, this book will be of interest both to group therapists and to students seeking material that bridges the gap between clinical and social psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of A critical psychology: Interpretation of the personal world.

Reviews the book, A critical psychology: Interpretation of the personal world by Edmund V. Sullivan (1984). In this book, the author gives an indication of what an alternative psychology might look like. In doing this he draws on the ideas of a number of European philosophers and social scientists whose work has been generally ignored by North American psychologists. What distinguishes Sullivan's critical psychology from other alternatives to the mainstream is his insistence that the conditions for human action be traced not simply to the intentional activity of individuals but to the social structures of domination in which individual intentions are embedded. These are the structures of ethnicity, gender, and class. What Sullivan criticizes is that "psychologists take structural relationships of power such as capital over labour, men over women, and change them into intrapsychic phenomena." This book is an important contribution to the growing literature on alternatives to mainstream psychology. It is distinguished by its intellectual sophistication and by its marshalling of perspectives that run counter to local cultural traditions. At the very least it is a volume that ought to provoke an expansion of all too narrow disciplinary horizons. Incidentally, the very concept of intellectual "horizon" is one that the author analyses in a particularly constructive way, showing its relevance in the context of psychological research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Work motivation: History, theory, research, and practice.

Reviews the book, Work motivation: History, theory, research, and practice by Gary Latham (see record 2006-11764-000). The reviewer commends Latham for writing an empirically comprehensive and "personal" book on work motivation. Included is a history of work motivation studies throughout the last 100 years, directions for future research, and the author's reflections on what he has learned about the field on his own professional and personal journey through life. The reviewer praises the author's style highly, and recommends this book to all. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Exploring the psychology of interest.

Reviews the book, Exploring the psychology of interest by Paul J. Silvia (see record 2006-03939-000). As Silvia observes, the study of interest has been extensive. However, it has been scattered across many subfields including the specialized and somewhat isolated areas of aesthetics, educational psychology, and vocational psychology. There exists a further divide between models of interest as an emotional experience and the personality-based study of interests and their idiographic development over time. Thankfully, Silvia's book brings a sense of order and coherence to this otherwise fractured body of work. The book's unifying theme is that cognition plays a singular role in generating, as well as interpreting, the experience of any emotion, including interest. Silvia wields his cognitivism skillfully, using it to advance a compelling case that interest is a function of cognitive appraisal. He then presents a related attributional analysis of how individuals develop particular interests and avocations over time. These two theoretical models organize the first two sections of the book, and they nicely integrate the existing literatures concerning interest and the development of interests, respectively. A final section of the book concludes with a comparison of models of interest followed by Silvia's suggested directions for future research. This is a great example of what the psychology of emotion needs. It is a successful "second-generation" effort to organize the proliferation of emotion research and theorizing that has occurred over the past few decades (Detweiler-Bedell & Salovey, 2002). Emotion researchers who read the book will benefit as much from Silvia's method as from the richness of his subject. In particular, this would be an ideal book for graduate students and faculty to hash over as part of a weekly reading group. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Economics and psychology: A promising new cross-disciplinary field.

Reviews the book, Economics and psychology: A promising new cross-disciplinary field edited by Bruno S. Frey and Alois Stutzer (see record 2007-00637-000). The editors' goal in this book was to review some recent applications of psychological theories in the field of economics. Given economics' high reliance on agency theory, this book provides a fresh look into what standard economics has had a difficult time explaining: what economists have called "errors" in individual behaviour and decision making. The gist of the book focuses on showing that these errors are in fact part of the human make-up, and the contributors use psychological theories and evidence to build a new economics paradigm. The book purports to question the assumption of the human as a rational being, to show the value of experimental methods in economics, and to make well-being a worthy outcome in economics. This book is of interest to economists who have an interest in microeconomics and want to break free from the narrow focus of agency theory. It is also of interest to psychologists who want to extend their work on prosocial behaviour and well-being to include economic and institutional considerations as part of their accounts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Methods of theoretical psychology.

Reviews the book, Methods of theoretical psychology by André Kukla (see record 2001-18914-000). This comprehensive survey of the tools of theoretical psychology is the culmination of the author's previous writings (e.g., Kukla 1989, 1995) wherein he tried to "convince psychologists that our discipline had suffered from a gross and systematic underestimation of the scope, variety, and import of theoretical work" and "persuade my colleagues that there are many important theoretical issues the resolution of which does not call for empirical research" (p. xi). This is not a book in theoretical psychology (the author cites as examples the volumes by Marx and Hillix, and Wolman), but a book about theoretical psychology, the "types of theoretical activities" that "require nothing but thinking" (p. xi). Notable is the book's epigraph, a quotation from Jerry Fodor claiming that the distinction between psychological and philosophical theorizing is merely heuristic, and issuing the moral challenge for a plurality of argument styles that transcends disciplines. For Kukla has written a book about the logic of science, or what was traditionally referred to as the philosophy of science, and, as might be expected, examples are strewn throughout from the natural sciences as well as some classic theoretical problems in psychology, most notably, cognitive science. (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 Dynamic and abnormal psychology.

Reviews the book, Dynamic and abnormal psychology by W. S. Taylor(see record 1955-01101-000). According to the reviewer, the standards set up for this book by the publishers include system, comprehensiveness, and readability. The first and second are readily conceded; the third calls for more scrutiny. The reviewer states that Professor Taylor offers this book explicitly as a text for courses in its field, for supplementary and reference use in related fields, and as a "survey for independent readers." These objectives are somewhat disparate, and a reviewer can only hope to be reasonably clear about the one for which he is from time to time trying to evaluate. According to the reviewer, for the "independent reader" let this counsel suffice. Do not try to read this book as you would a story, or even the work of an essayist. Take it in small doses. You can open it at random and within two minutes should find something rewarding--which ought to be justification for any book. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Sex, evolution and behavior (2nd edition).

Reviews the book, Sex, evolution and behavior (2nd edition) by Martin Daly and Margo Wilson (1983). As Daly's and Wilson's text makes clear, the general framework of sociobiology has ordered an immense amount of disparate data on the nature of sexuality and offered important insights into the human condition. The book is written in an engaging and ebullient manner, aimed primarily as a textbook for undergraduate students in psychology and the social sciences. It is much more than this, however. It stands as a highly accessible guide and reference manual to current research and theory for psychologists interested in interfacing with evolutionary biology, as well as being "a good read" for any reasonably intelligent, literate person. It is very unusual for a book to so usefully serve such a wide audience. The authors have a quite remarkable capacity to "bottom line" knotty theories and complicated data sets. There are very few criticisms that can be made and most of these will be idiosyncratic to the particular reviewer. However, I suspect that three may occur to those psychologists considering offering courses on human sociobiology. First, the book is highly focused on sex and reproduction and, therefore, does not cover other important topics in the degree of detail that course instructors may have wished: altruism and aggression, to mention two. Second, an even greater emphasis on the human species would have been preferred by most behavioural scientists (particularly students). Finally, and allied to the last two criticisms, more information could have been incorporated from social-personality-developmental psychology. Instead, a mildly deprecating tone is occasionally adopted. Despite such minor carpings (and it is always easy to criticize a book for what it didn't include), the book is highly recommended for anyone interested in the current status of research in sociobiology. It would make an excellent textbook for anyone teaching a half year introductory course on sociobiology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The psychology of successful selling.

Reviews the book, "The psychology of successful selling," by Richard W. Husband (see record 1954-03433-000). The reviewer notes that this book is directed to all salesmen to aid them in their daily work. Its emphasis is on sales tactics, from finding your prospects through approaching him and overcoming his resistance to closing the sale. There is also a short section concerning the selection of salesmen, helping him to compare his traits with those of successful salesmen. This book is not intended to be a professional book for psychologists; rather it is deliberately designed to be easy, informal reading without technical language or reference to experiments or statistics. In general, there is little in the book to recommend it even to sales managers or salesmen over the many other volumes written in this field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Preparing for graduate study in psychology: 101 questions and answers.

Reviews the book, Preparing for graduate study in psychology: 101 questions and answers by William Buskist and Caroline Burke (2006). The book is broken down into a number of chapters organized in a chronological manner, starting with the fundamentals of what graduate school is like and how to choose a specific program. It then proceeds to more specific pieces of information, including the GRE, details on the application and interview process, and finishes with a timeframe on how to organize one's first year of graduate studies. Each of these chapters is formatted as a series of key questions, followed by detailed answers related to the overall theme of the section. Also included in this edition are very useful appendices that include a glossary of terms, a sample vitae, and letters of intent. The last chapter, entitled "The First Year: Thriving, Surviving and Other Essentials," tackles issues related to how to decide on a graduate mentor, when to choose a thesis committee, switching programs during graduate school, and most intriguingly, how to not "wash out" of the program. The reviewer highly recommends this book as he believes it will almost certainly ease a student's transition from undergraduate to graduate studies in psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The psychology of human possibility and constraint.

Reviews the book, The psychology of human possibility and constraint by J. Martin and J. Sugarman (see record 1999-02336-000). This wide-ranging, compact, dense, yet very readable little book presents many of the key elements of a badly needed, more credible philosophy of social science for academic and professional psychologists. The book gives no specific examples of theories or research findings that might illustrate what is meant by a better kind of "knowledge" or "theory" in psychology, so the reader is left somewhat high and dry concerning this question. Perhaps it is simply the case that these questions about what might be the best kind of social and psychological inquiry and what sense to make of the plethora of theories and findings to date, are difficult, murky, and on the frontier of a hermeneutic reenvisioning of psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Proposed Book Review Journal: Comment.

Comments on "Book Reviewing in American Psychological Journals" by Girden and Dennis in the June 1954 American Psychologist. The comment author presents an argument against the establishment of a book review journal by APA. While it is true that the establishment of such a journal would constitute a reorganization of APA's present activities, it would require that the subscriber to present journals either subscribe to this new journal, which may carry a large portion of reviews in which he has no interest, or be deprived of the reviews of books in his field of special interest which currently appear in the journals to which he is already subscribing. It is unreasonable to expect an editor to have the breadth of acquaintance with the various fields of psychology that would be necessary to decide which books merit review or to have the breadth of acquaintance with psychologists in the various fields that would be necessary to enable him judiciously to select reviewers in all of the specialties. It seems difficult to understand how a book review journal could be operated without any pronounced increase in the number of pages that the APA now devotes to this function and still provide "a more complete coverage of psychological books." Several disadvantages to establishing a book review journal are summarized. (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 Handbook of social psychology.

Reviews the book "Handbook of social psychology" (Volumes I and II), edited by G. Lindzey (see record 1955-03817-000). This book is a major attempt to present, summarized in handbook fashion, what is known theoretically, methodologically, and substantively in the area of social psychology. The various chapters include contributions by psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, and statisticians. Most of the chapters are written carefully and thoughtfully. It is a good and worth-while book to have in print. Many students and research workers will have occasion to refer to it. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)