Review of Effective Correctional Treatment.

Reviews the book, Effective Correctional Treatment by Robert R. Ross and Paul Gendreau (Eds.) (1980). This collection of both reprinted and original chapters was developed in response to the sometimes heated debate in the criminal justice field over the effectiveness of a variety of interventions with both pretrial and sentenced persons. This debate was intensified with the publication of a book by Robert Martinson and his colleagues which summarized their review of a large number of corrections treatment programs. What has changed since the Martinson review? Are treatment programs more effective and/or better evaluated? The Ross and Gendreau book nicely addresses both these questions. Apart from an overemphasis on juvenile programs, this is a highly valuable collection of papers. It clearly could serve as an excellent undergraduate text in a number of criminology, psychology, or social work courses and also as a sourcebook for criminal justice workers who are interested in creating new programs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Mental Disorder and Criminal Responsibility.

Reviews the book, Mental Disorder and Criminal Responsibility edited by Stephen J. Hucker, Christopher D. Webster and Mark H. Ben-Aron (1981). This book comprises a dozen papers, by judges, lawyers, psychiatrists, psychologists and a professor of English language and literature, all intended to elucidate the concept of criminal responsibility. The Editors' intent was to accomplish this by bringing together "the perspectives of all the professional disciplines whose specialties intersect in this area." Given that goal, the papers are a mixed bag. Three of them, written by members of the legal profession are thoughtfully cogent; the others make, at best, modest contributions and, at worst, add confusion to an appreciation of the issues. Achievement of the book's goals is impeded also, by the omission of several of the "professional disciplines whose specialties intersect in this area," notably philosophy, sociology, history and criminology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The domestic assault of women: Psychological and criminal justice perspectives.

Reviews the book, The domestic assault of women: Psychological and criminal justice perspectives by Donald A. Dutton (1988). This book provides a comprehensive analysis of battered women and their husbands by integrating current theories and research on violence and victimization within a social psychological perspective. The book is divided into seven chapters. The first chapter outlines the current data on the incidence of wife assault and proposes a theoretical framework for understanding the problem. The next two chapters outline the theory and research available on men who assault their partners. Chapter four details the impact of violence on victims and provides some explanations for battered women becoming "prisoners" in their own home. Chapter five details the shortcomings of the criminal justice response to battered women. Chapter six provides some more optimistic information on treatment programs for violent husbands. The book ends with a section on future trends, including current research programs on children who witness violence in their homes. Overall, the book is well written and demonstrates Dutton's excellent analytical skills. He has an ability to integrate diverse theoretical models on family violence with current research studies in the field. His understanding of battered women and their husbands flows dramatically into the dismal record of the criminal justice system in providing a meaningful response to the problem. His analysis of current treatment programs offers some valuable insight to the reader on the most effective strategies for this population. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Investing in Children, Youth, Families, and Communities: Strengths-Based Research and Policy.

Investing in Children, Youth, Families, and Communities: Strengths-Based Research and Policy edited by Kenneth I. Maton, Cynthia J. Schellenbach, Bonnie J. Leadbeater and Andrea L. Solarz (see record 2003-88390-000). This book advocates a strengths-based approach to family-based research and social policy. Instead of deficit-based models of social problems, resiliency models are advocated in which factors associated with competence and positive developmental outcome are identified and promoted (see Masten & Coatsworth, 1998). Instead of an emphasis on diagnostic issues for existing problems, prevention is stressed so that negative outcomes do not arise and positive outcomes do. This book consists of 19 chapters and provides excellent reviews of strength-based approaches to children and families, and would have a broad appeal to family- relevant practitioners and policy-makers. Although some of the material seems most germane to an American audience, there is substantial relevance to the Canadian context of children and families. In academic settings, the book could be useful in advanced courses in either applied developmental or community psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The justice motive in social behavior.

Reviews the book, The Justice Motive in Social Behavior, edited by Melvin J. Lerner and Sally C. Lerner (1981). This edited book is the result of a conference held at the University of Waterloo. Here (September 1978) an interdisciplinary group of experts sought answers to the question, "How can the human concern with justice provide opportunities for constructive responses to future social dilemmas which may involve scarcity of resources and rapid change?" The 20 chapters are directly or indirectly related to this question, and the book is extremely timely and thought-provoking. This is an important book and should be a welcome addition to anyone interested in the implications for justice in the not-too-distant scarcity-laden future. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The Young Offenders Act: A revolution in Canadian juvenile justice.

Reviews the book, The Young Offenders Act: A revolution in Canadian juvenile justice by Alan Leschied, Peter Jaffe, and Wayne Willis. The recent historical development of how we deal with young criminals in Canada is well covered in this book. For most of this century, the treatment of young offenders was governed by the Juvenile Delinquents Act (JDA). A product of the reform movements of the end of the 19th century, this act was based on the rationale that young criminals were wayward children whose antisocial behaviour was a reaction to deprivation and neglect. Unfortunately, over the years the JDA became in operation often oppressive, with little attention to due process, and a smothering concern for the welfare of its clients that enmeshed them in a net from which they could not easily escape. The "solution" to these problems was the Young Offenders Act (YOA), implemented during the past decade. The central theme of the first seven chapters of the book--about half of the total--is how the old Welfare assumptions have been replaced by a Junior Justice model. As detailed therein, accused young offenders are now given legal safeguards equivalent to those afforded to adults, with the same rules of evidence, guarantees of defence lawyers and legal aid, and definite fixed sentences if convicted. As one might have expected, the "Revolution in Canadian Juvenile Justice" claimed by the book's subtitle is often much more profound at the level of legal philosophy than on the front lines where real decisions about kids' lives have to be made. Old problems have been replaced by new ones, for example the precipitous drop in the number of convicted youths in psychological treatment programs. Clearly, the roles of both lawyers and psychologists within the System have changed with the adoption of the YOA, and the balance of power has shifted away from treatment. However, as is clear after reading this book, working procedures under the new act are not all fixed by the legislation; rather, some procedures could probably be altered relatively easily. As well, some minor changes in the legislation might make the entire system much more amenable to treatment. The JDA evolved over time, and so will the YOA. This volume can serve as a good starting position for one to consider what the YOA can become and how it can be directed in its evolution, rather than decrying the very dubious value of what it replaced. It will certainly be of interest to psychologists and other professionals in the criminal justice field. It could also serve as a good introduction to criminal justice issues for other readers with interests in adolescent behaviour. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Psychology and Law: An Empirical Perspective.

Reviews the book Psychology and Law: An Empirical Perspective by Neil Brewer and Kipling D. Williams (Eds.) (see record 2005-07316-000). This book deals with a wide array of topics selected from the fields of developmental, social, and cognitive psychology that were chosen because of their relevance and applicability to issues in the criminal justice system. As the title implies, forensic practices can be understood (and ultimately enhanced) by research that addresses the scientific foundation of those practices. The editors deliver exactly what they promise, namely, empirical analyses of the various procedures and assumptions within the legal system. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Social psychology.

Reviews the book, Social psychology by Daniel Perlman and P. Chris Cozby (1983). In agreeing to co-edit a text sponsored by The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues, Daniel Perlman and P. Chris Cozby accepted the challenge of producing a non-traditional text aimed at a very traditional market. Their self-described "most salient goal" was "to focus attention on social issues and problems." They recognized, however, that that goal could only be achieved by meeting "the needs of students." The co-editors additionally accepted the implicit task of counterbalancing social psychology's tradition of presenting the discipline as being almost exclusively laboratory-based. As a result, Social Psychology--in its accuracy and completeness of the literature surveyed--represents on of the better books in the field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Rationality and Relativism.

Reviews the book, Rationality and Relativism edited by Martin Hollis and Steven Lukes (1982). The reviewer asserts that the rationality with which relativism is contrasted in the title is that of the Enlightenment, "with its belief in universal laws of human nature and in an all-embracing scientific method for accumulating truths, its distrust of subjectivity and arbitrariness and its serene belief in intellectual and moral progress and in the link between them." The book is clearly slanted to the concerns of social anthropology proves, however, to be advantageous for the psychologist who is likely to be bothered more by theoretical than by cultural relativism. This book is a very important, timely, and eminently readable collection of articles by some of the most esteemed scholars currently working in the philosophy of the social sciences. The book should, for obvious reasons, be required reading for psychologists engaged in theoretical practice. As well, it provides valuable interdisciplinary perspectives on many problems of special interest to cognitive and social psychologists. But, above all, it gives a wealth of effective ammunition to all psychologists who are determined actively to resist the dry-rot of relativism and to restore a more promising foundation to their science. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Parapsychology: Science or Magic.

Reviews the book, Mental Disorder and Criminal Responsibility edited by Stephen J. Hucker, Christopher D. Webster and Mark H. Ben-Aron ( 1981). This book comprises a dozen papers, by judges, lawyers, psychiatrists, psychologists and a professor of English language and literature, all intended to elucidate the concept of criminal responsibility. The Editors' intent was to accomplish this by bringing together "the perspectives of all the professional disciplines whose specialties intersect in this area." Given that goal, the papers are a mixed bag. Three of them, written by members of the legal profession are thoughtfully cogent; the others make, at best, modest contributions and, at worst, add confusion to an appreciation of the issues. Achievement of the book's goals is impeded also, by the omission of several of the "professional disciplines whose specialties intersect in this area," notably philosophy, sociology, history and criminology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Conflict and language planning in Quebec.

Reviews the book, Conflict and language planning in Quebec by Richard Y. Bourhis. This monograph, edited by Bourhis, makes a distinct contribution to scholarship in the area of Language Policy/Language Planning (LP) in general, and more specifically, to research in that area within Canada. Work in this area is almost always collaboratively undertaken and involves individuals from diverse disciplinary backgrounds. These trends are evident in the present monograph. The major contributions of this monograph are threefold: first, it leads to a better understanding of the language situation in Quebec; secondly, it describes clearly three of the four major components of LP activities--planning, policy formulation and implementation; and thirdly, authors present an interesting array of methodological techniques not typically used by many LP researchers, by which one can further investigate empirically reactions or responses to language policy change in various settings. The attractiveness of the monograph derives from the interesting and clear account of a major planned social change within the province of Quebec which has had provincial and national implications for concerned Canadian residents, but which more importantly has had immediate implications--at both theoretical and applied levels--for language policy scholars throughout the world. This monograph comprises a welcome addition to the rapidly growing literature which examines the role of language in national development. It provides careful documentation of a fascinating case study of one set of events that have been carefully chronicled by well-trained scholars from diverse disciplinary perspectives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Public opinion and propaganda.

Reviews the book, Public opinion and propaganda edited by Dorwin Cartwright, Samuel Eldersveld, Daniel Katz, Alfred McClung Lee (see record 1955-02380-000). The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues has produced an excellent book of readings on public opinion and propaganda. In keeping with its interdisciplinary orientation, a wide range of the relevant literature in political science, history, anthropology, sociology, economics, and psychology has been culled to provide a selection of readings (74 in all) showing the possibilities of the empirical approach to problems in the area as well as the societal context, the political structure, and the social-psychological dynamics of opinion formation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The body and psychology.

Reviews the book, The body and psychology by Henderikus J. Stam (see record 1998-06784-000). Considering this collection as a whole, it is striking how many of the authors, some of whom have been proponents of social constructionist thinking, feel social constructionism is unable to articulate an adequate theory of the psychological body. This refreshingly critical edge will no doubt lead to more sophisticated debates on the psychological body. Overall, this book is probably best read by graduate students and scholars who have some familiarity with social constructionist theory (e.g., Harré), as well as poststructuralism (e.g., Derrida, Lacan) and social theory (e.g., Bourdieu). Moreover, since the authors rely on other disciplinary discourses, this will be an excellent text for graduate courses on the body in cultural studies and sociology. Teaching this book would be interesting as it contains some analytical contrasts; for example, one could turn Malone and Bayer on Baerveldt and Voestermans, Parlee on Kempen, or the thematic analysis of Frank on the book itself. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The Notebooks.

Reviews the books Fritz Heider: The notebooks, Vol. 1: Methods, principles and philosophy of science, Fritz Heider: The notebooks, Vol. 2: Perception, Fritz Heider: The notebooks, Vol. 3: Motivation, Fritz Heider: The notebooks, Vol. 4: Balance theory, Fritz Heider: The notebooks, Vol. 5: Attributional and interpersonal evaluation, and Fritz Heider: The notebooks, Vol. 6: Units and coinciding units by Fritz Heider and edited by Marijana Benesh-Weiner (see records 1987-98853-000, 1988-97988-000, 1988-98304-000, 1989-97096-000, 1989-97097-000, and 1990-97341-000). The Notebooks are a six-volume reproduction of Heider's working social psychology, from the early 1950s through to the early 1980s. Their publication allows us, for the first time, an intimate and complete examination of a method of social psychology that has proven so fruitful and upon which rests so much of the experimental enterprise of the past decades. Heider's method is thoughtful, rather than active. The Notebooks would probably be of greatest interest and use to practising experimental social psychologists, since many mainstream topics derive from Heider's Psychology of Interpersonal Relations, which was an earlier, more highly edited, release of his notebook research. Graduate students will find The Notebooks a treasure house of topics, ideas, and inspiration. Theoreticians will find Heider one of their own. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Social intervention: Theory and practice.

Reviews the book, Social intervention: Theory and practice, edited by Edward M. Bennett (see record 1987-98585-000). Scholarly literature in the field of social change is extensive, but knowledge of the nature of that change and the process of how it is implemented and carried out is limited. According to Bennett, this lacuna is due to the fact that writings in the field have dealt with interventions within a system and not with change of the system itself. The scarcity of meaningful study of social intervention, Bennett believes, is due to the unwillingness of social scientists to 1) function together in teams to address what is in essence a problem, 2) to pair-up with practitioners working on social intervention projects in joint ventures, and 3) to address the limitations of the logical positivist traditions of their university bases. To overcome these obstacles, Bennett has called upon both academics and practitioners from various disciplines to present both theory and interventions dealing with social problems. The book contains 14 chapters divided into four parts: I, Introduction; II, Cultural, Ideological and Educational Approaches to Social Intervention; III, Legal, Policy and Political Approaches to Social Intervention; and IV, Community Economic Development Approaches to Social Intervention. This book represents a Herculean task. Any text which would include the diversity of professions and disciplines in an effort to integrate theory and practice relating to social intervention is a challenge few would undertake. In doing so, Bennett has produced a volume which does indeed represent a serious attempt to come to grips with how to change a system instead of just the parts of that system. He has achieved this by insisting on a workable conceptual structure, theme and focus for all contributors regardless of the content areas covered by the authors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of First impressions.

Reviews the book, First impressions, edited by Nalini Ambady and John J. Skowronski (see record 2008-09248-000). This book addresses the questions of how impressions are formed and their effects on thought, feeling, and behaviour. Its goal is to provide a comprehensive overview of the most recent theoretical approaches and empirical data that inform our understanding of perceivers’ immediate impressions of others. Edited by two leading investigators in the field and bringing together an impressive array of experts, the book is well organised and well written, offering a balance of classic and cutting-edge findings. The book is organised into four parts. Part 1 considers biological aspects of impression formation. Part 2 focuses on the factors that make first impressions more or less accurate. Part 3 addresses how facial cues—on their own or in conjunction with other cues—influence the contents or processes of impression formation. Part 4 focuses on how behavioural and environmental cues influence the contents or processes of impression formation. First impressions succeeds in its mandate to provide a broad overview of what we currently know about the processes and moderators involved in impression formation. In so doing, it fulfills an important role, in that no other volume currently exists to organise our knowledge about impression formation—arguably one of the most central topics in social psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Suicide and homicide.

Reviews the book, Suicide and homicide by Andrew F. Henry and James F. Short (see record 1965-08423-000). This book treats suicide and homicide as dependent variables and seeks to relate them to the business cycle, forms and degrees of social control, and aggressive tendencies against self or others. In five appendices the authors appraise previous research, examine statistical techniques for studying business cycles, and use these techniques to study the relations between cycles of suicides and of business, and offenses against property. The authors conclude that suicide rises in depression and falls in prosperity whereas homicide rises in prosperity and falls during depression. Both these tendencies are associated with social status-suicide with high and homicide with low status. As regards sociological variables, the authors study what they call "strength of the relational system" defined in terms of marital status, urban-rural residence, and ecological distribution. They conclude that the greater the strength of the relational system, the lower the suicide rate and the higher the homicide rate. This ambitious work aims to build on Durkheim's theory and the empirical research of more recent Americans. The interrelation of the types of variables considered by the authors seeks to solve questions of the association of superego structure with the combined effect of economic stress, social status, and the strength of the relational system. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Handbook of social psychology.

Reviews the book, Handbook of social psychology edited by Gardner Lindzey (1954). The reviewer notes that the publication of this two-volume Handbook is a truly signal event in social psychology. The text is comprehensive, up to date, balanced. It gives extensive treatment to theory, to methodology, and to research findings and applications. It is sophisticated in its approach and makes no concession to oversimplified presentation, either in content or in style. The reviewer also reports that the editor has demonstrated a high order of intelligence and judgment in the selection and organization of the various chapters. No main area of social psychology is neglected. As contrasted with the more typical compendiums of material in a large field, this book succeeds remarkably in avoiding unnecessary redundancy. The choice of authors in this text is also excellent. Some of the authors have taken this as an occasion for creating something beyond simply a critical review of an area of social psychology; parts of some of the chapters are original contributions to the theory and method of social psychology. Overall, this Handbook offers convincing evidence that social psychology is indeed a field in its own right, continually growing in the extent to which its methods and findings bear intimate relationship with other areas of psychology, and at the same time contributing a steady stream of methods and data which are uniquely to be found in connection with social behavior of individuals and groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of A quarter century of normalization and social role valorization: Evolution and impact.

Reviews the book, A quarter century of normalization and social role valorization: Evolution and impact edited by Robert J. Flynn and Raymond A. Lemay (see record 2001-00115-000). The appearance of this new book by Flynn and Lemay presents a timely opportunity to reassess the status and value of the concepts of normalization and social valorization as they pertain to people with developmental, psychiatric, and intellectual impairments. The book consists of an introduction and 29 chapters organized into seven parts: historical evolution of the concepts (4 chapters), critical perspectives (4 chapters), links with social science theory and research (5 chapters), dissemination through training and education (3 chapters), international impact (9 chapters), personal impact (3 chapters), and the future (1 chapter). This organization holds together reasonably well. As might be expected, the chapters vary in both precision of writing and robustness of content. This book has value at many levels. Most immediately, it provides a useful historical overview and summary of concepts that have had an impact on human services in the latter half of the past century. At an intermediate level, it stimulates thinking about conceptual research issues that have immense relevance to psychology generally and to the enhancement of life opportunities for marginalized citizens. At a deeper level, the debates and discussions prompt serious thought about the fundamental forces driving social policy and about the ways in which humans relate to each other. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)