Review of Creativity.

Reviews the book, Creativity by P. E. Vernon (Ed.) (see record 1973-07006-000). Vernon provides a palatable and inexpensive way into the literature on creativity. While he defends his selection of 27 articles as arbitrary but conventional, there is in fact a healthy respect for the early contributors and for the significant British literature. In the six sections of this book, Vernon provides an altogether refreshing little collection of key materials. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Cognition.

Reviews the book, Cognition by John G. Benjafield, et al. (2010). Cognition (4th ed.) provides a comprehensive introduction to cognitive psychology for undergraduate students and others who require an overview of the area. New in the fourth edition is a chapter on cognitive neuroscience. The reviewer only has one criticism of Benjafield et al.: Citations for published works in every chapter that also appeared in the third edition stop around 2007 or earlier (when the third edition was published). Cognition is a book that will appeal to those looking for a high-level, scholarly survey of cognitive psychology. It is this aspect of Cognition that sets it apart from most other textbooks that cover cognitive psychology. Yet, despite its scholarly approach, it remains an engaging text that makes the reader want to keep reading more: a delicate balance, but one that Benjafield et al. manage with aplomb. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of A family like yours: Breaking the patterns of drug abuse.

Reviews the book, A family like yours: Breaking the patterns of drug abuse by James L. Sorensen and Guillermo Bernal (1987). A family like yours is a self-help guide aimed at families with a drug-abusing member. It attempts to fill a gap in the self-help literature on substance abuse and families. The problem readers may encounter is one of integrating without outside help the overwhelming amount of material presented. The chapters cover many basic concepts in family systems and life cycle theory without sufficient space devoted to particular concepts or points. Points are made with little elaboration, and the reader may not be able to integrate much of the material. However, for the family that is involved in treatment, the book may prove helpful in promoting insights into the functioning of the family and may serve as a valuable adjunct to treatment by provoking questions and insights that can move a family toward change. The authors' emphasis on providing the family support and optimism tempered by realistic limits may also serve to make this book a useful adjunct to treatment. This book serves as a valuable addition to the self-help literature on drug abuse in families and partially fills a gap currently existing in that marketplace. It covers a great deal of material that is not easily available to the lay reader at this time. This book is more likely to be insight provoking, practical, and motivating, however, to the drug abusing family that is in treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of From Perceiving to Performing: An Aspect of Cognitive Growth.

Reviews the book, From Perceiving to Performing: An Aspect of Cognitive Growth by D. R. Olson and Susan M. Pagliuso (Eds.) (1968). As recently as 1960 Miller, Galanter, and Pribram (1960) were able to say that there exists a "theoretical vacuum between cognition and action" and in their book, they made an attempt to fill in that vacuum. Since then, many other psychologists have also concerned themselves with this theoretical vacuum and have made valiant attempts to fill it. Not all psychologists, of course, agreed that a vacuum existed or that if it did, it required filling. The monograph edited by Olson and Pagliuso is concerned with this theoretical vacuum with a special emphasis on the relationship between perceiving and performing. The core of the monograph is four papers plus a discussion presented at an American Psychological Association symposium in 1967. To this has been added a book review and a reprint of an article. Generally speaking, the reviewer regards this monograph as a collection of interesting and stimulating papers concerned with an old and important problem in psychology. It is well worth reading, but the reader should not expect any major theoretical advances. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Directions in Soviet social psychology.

Reviews the book, Directions in Soviet social psychology, edited by Lloyd H. Strickland (1984). This book is about collectives: not just any organized group that might be so called in the Soviet Union, but groups that have attained (or are in the process of attaining) a genuine collectivity, internal cohesiveness, or solidarity. The editor has put together ten chapters, each by one or more of the Soviet Union's most prominent social psychologists. The contributions were written with a view to giving Western psychologists--in as nonpolemic a manner as possible--an understanding of the various problem areas in Soviet social psychology, of where they have come from historically, of what Soviet psychologists see as the major issues, of how they do research, and of some of their findings and conclusions. The contributions appear diverse. They deal with subjects as varied as the self-concept, communication, cognitive processes, person perception, self-discipline, management, and industrial psychology. Beneath the diversity, however, emerges a common preoccupation with the collective, its development and dynamics. This unity of underlying concern, in turn, lends the book a remarkable coherence. The book is, however, not without its difficulties. The main one is a certain opacity characteristic of English translations of Russian scientific works. The editor acknowledges and discusses this problem in an afterword. He has also provided the reader with an informative preface that explains how the book came about, and each chapter is headed by a brief but helpful introduction. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Psychoanalytic approaches to addiction.

Reviews the book, Psychoanalytic approaches to addiction edited by Angela Smaldino (see record 1991-98128-000). Contrary to what one might read into its title, the book is only partially about alcohol and other drugs AOD addiction. Three of its seven chapters address other types of addiction: destructive relationships, love, and food. The implication is that similarities among the various addictions will serve to illustrate a common unconscious motivation of "the addictive personality" revealed by psychoanalysis. Nowhere in the book, however, is this explicitly stated. The chapters are as the beads of an unlinked chain. They are as a series of associations in a patient's stream of consciousness, each one rich in detail, captivating, and insightful, but as yet without the analyst's interpretation as to how they are linked. The daunting task of that interpretation is left to the reader. This book is a valiant effort to move the psychoanalytic field in the direction of accommodating to the needs of an important patient population. It is not a primer to be taken as a directive, but a useful tool that the more sophisticated reader may employ as an impetus to stimulate further thinking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Speak of me as I am: The life and work of Masud Khan.

Reviews the book, Speak of me as I am: The life and work of Masud Khan by Judy Cooper (1993). Controversy surrounding M. Masud R. Khan the person usually crowds out serious consideration of his psychoanalytic writings. In Speak of me as I am, Judy Cooper, a psychotherapist in London, convincingly demonstrates that, despite his life, Khan's work has enduring value and would amply reward anyone who studies it. She has a difficult task, to give the reader a familiarity--and even sympathy--with Khan while not minimizing his always off-putting and frequently repulsive behavior. One would think that the task would be all the more daunting because she herself had an analysis with Khan from 1967 to 1973. Far from providing an idealized portrait of her former analyst, however, Cooper openly discusses Khan's shortcomings. The book is so successful in part because her years of closeness with him enable her to convey an insider's sense of what Khan was like. In a compact space--only 122 pages of text--Cooper achieves her main purposes: familiarizing the reader with Khan's life and work while also evaluating his contributions to psychoanalysis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Images in mind: The evolution of a theory.

Reviews the book, Images in mind: The evolution of a theory by A. Paivio (see record 1991-98882-000). In this review I hope to capture some of the flavour of Images in Mind, in which Allan Paivio traces some of the signal events in the evolution of dual coding theory. I encourage each reader of the review to become a reader of the book. The main reward is a glimpse of the workings of a great mind, but there are practical benefits as well. I am reminded of an interview with Keith Richard of the Rolling Stones. When asked how he came up with so many songs, he replied that he just played through his "Buddy Holly Song Book," and something always came up. Reading papers by Paivio has the same effect on me; I can't read his work without many experiments "coming up." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of APA dictionary of psychology.

Reviews the book, APA dictionary of psychology by Gary R. VandenBos (see record 2006-11044-000). This book is an impressive comprehensive reference book that includes germane entries of overlapping and interrelated disciplines. This dictionary is a useful resource not only for professionals who work in the field of psychology, but also for the professionals who work in related and/or overlapping disciplines (e.g., social workers, psychiatrists, practitioners, lawyers). The long list of editors and contributors shows that the making of this book was a major joint effort. The hard-covered book has 1,023 pages and more than 25,000 entries that are accompanied by thousands of cross-references. The dictionary provides a brief history of the book's development and a brief guide to its layout and format. The book has high-quality paper, a double-column layout, large boldface headwords, and small boldface subentries, all of which make it easy to read. In addition, each entry is generously indented under the headword making the pages appear less crowded when compared to other dictionaries. The size of the book is very reasonable, which will be appealing to the reader. Overall, this high-quality dictionary is a very useful resource for professionals and students in the field of psychology, as well as for professionals in related disciplines. Regardless of whether the reader is a professional or novice, he or she will no doubt appreciate this comprehensive "user friendly" dictionary. The wait for a psychology reference book was worth it. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The first session in brief therapy.

Reviews the book, The first session in brief therapy edited by Simon H. Budman, Michael F. Hoyt, and Steven Friedman (see record 1992-98543-000). This book provides an overview of the models of brief psychotherapeutic intervention. A major focus is how brief therapists structure and manage their initial contact with the patient. The editors intend this volume to be a casebook in which the reader can learn what therapists actually do in their clinical practice and offers the reader opportunities to further develop and sharpen his/her thinking regarding brief therapy. According to the reviewer, this book provides a fine survey of the current diversity of approaches to brief therapy. Taken as a whole, the book stimulates considerable thought on the most efficacious use of time in psychotherapy and will appeal to a wide audience including graduate students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Five therapists and one client.

Reviews the book, Five therapists and one client by Raymond J. Corsini (see record 1993-97589-000). To address the question of how the course of therapy would differ depending on the therapist's basic orientation, Corsini created a fictitious client with relatively minor but persistent problems. Therapists from five major systems of psychotherapy were chosen to write very specifically about how they would treat this client. The five systems include Adlerian, person-centered, rationale-emotive, behavioral, and eclectic. The book is divided into six chapters with one chapter for each of the five systems and an introductory chapter in which the problems of the client are given. This is an informative book for professionals, students, and those who are simply interested in the process of psychotherapy and human growth. The book provides very practical, basic information about the therapeutic process from five different perspectives as well as deeper theoretical insight into these respective approaches. Even the sophisticated reader will find much of value in Corsini's book. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The complete social scientist: A Kurt Lewin reader.

Reviews the book, The complete social scientist: A Kurt Lewin reader edited by Martin Gold (1999). Although he is often acknowledged as one of the primary founders of American social psychology, and despite frequent (seemingly routine and obligatory) citations in the literature, the actual ideas of Kurt Lewin seem to have been—more often than not—ignored or disregarded by most psychologists over the course of the last half century. Fortunately, there are a number of indications that this clearly unacceptable, decades-long neglect of Lewin is being rectified. One such indication is this very thoughtfully and comprehensively assembled volume published by APA books and edited by Martin Gold. Offered as a companion volume to the also recently issued one-volume edition of two previous Lewin anthologies, Resolving Social Conflicts and Field Theory in Social Science, this anthology brings together fifteen additional articles that have been until now especially difficult for scholars to obtain. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Freud and the Rat Man.

Reviews the book, Freud and the Rat Man by Patrick J. Mahony (1986). Mahony has three general aims in this book. One, his main purpose, is to show how dynamic, transference, and countertransference issues influence Freud's expressive style and are also revealed in the linguistic and para-linguistic characteristics of patient/therapist verbal interactions. His second aim is to demonstrate the inadequacy of much of Strachey's English translation of Freud's writings. The third, and, in the view of this reader, the most interesting theme of the book focuses on the degree of congruence between Freud's process notes and the published case history of the Rat Man. One finds in this book two contradictory stances--on the one hand, there is Mahony the skeptic uncovering inaccuracies in Freud's published case history and raising some critical issues. On the other hand, a good part of the book reflects some of the difficulties that afflict a good deal of psychoanalytic writing--difficulties that, given Mahony's impressive critical abilities, one would have expected him to avoid. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Not a page-turner, but a very intellectually-challenging book.

Reviews the book, How the mind works by S. Pinker (1998). How the mind works provides an excellent example of what I consider a very good, thought-provoking scientific book. It is true that I often put the book down, sometimes for long periods. But during those down times I still continued to read, in the sense described earlier. That is, I continued to consider the thoughts and issues raised by Pinker, often discussing them with colleagues, in an attempt to decide for myself where I stood on the issues. I found that I agreed with some of Pinker's views while disagreeing with others. However, I will not recount my opinions here, because I expect a different reader would have very different opinions for the reasons described above. Instead, I will highlight the characteristics of Pinker's book that make it such a non-page-turner. In my view, the strengths of the book are rooted in three characteristics: (a) the perspective, (b) the subject matter, and (c) the writing style. The combination of interesting and relevant issues, an engaging writing style, and a strong stance on every issue make the book very challenging intellectually. I was not comfortable moving on to some new issue before I had formed an opinion on the previous one. Often this required me to talk with colleagues and at the end of the title. Perhaps it would not reflect the extend the debate beyond the book and into the faculty conviction with which Pinker holds his opinions, but it lounge. At other times it pushed me to simply take some would better reflect the challenge to readers to form their time to reflect on the issues. Perhaps the highest accolade own opinions. that can be given to a scientific book is that it forces one to think and form opinions. How the mind works is clearly deserving of that accolade. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The complexity of learning disabilities.

Reviews the book, Learning about learning disabilities (2nd ed.) by B. Wong (1998). This book is a reasonably comprehensive survey of the state of the art. The book has many worthwhile chapters and will be of interest to advanced-level students, investigators, and clinicians in the field. This book is intended for advanced undergraduate or graduate students. It is a collection of chapters; the individual chapters are quite good but the authors of these individual chapters appear not to have read the other chapters. The student using this book and even the more seasoned investigator or clinician familiar with the field will find it very frustrating that there is no synthesis across chapters. Students reading this book will not have the background knowledge and sophistication of the authors of these chapters. Although it is suggested that this be used as a textbook, it is missing some very important information, and there is not much synthesis. I think that some students may become frustrated at the lack of both integration and consistency among the diverse chapters. There is a technical problem in that a significant number of bibliographic entries are incorrect. Compiling a reference list is tedious but not to have an accurate one is frustrating to the reader who may want to consult some of the references. No book is perfect. However, this book is an interesting balance of many positive and some troublesome features. It is comprehensive and provides a view of a fascinating field. The authors and editor are to be congratulated for their efforts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

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 Short-term dynamic psychotherapy: Evaluation and techniques.

Reviews the book, Short-term dynamic psychotherapy: Evaluation and techniques (2nd edition) by Peter E. Sifneos (1988). The book focuses specifically, if not exclusively, on short-term anxiety-provoking psychotherapy (STAPP). This mode of treatment is restricted to patients whose psychopathology results from an oedipal conflict, who have had meaningful relationships with another during early childhood, who have the capacity to relate flexibly and expressively with the psychotherapist, who have above-average intelligence and psychological sophistication, and who are motivated for change and not simply symptom relief. The book is organized into three sections: four chapters concern the psychiatric evaluation, seven relatively brief chapters review and illustrate techniques for doing STAPP, and two chapters focus on the results of treatment. In general, this is not a volume for the beginning reader of short-term treatment. It does not overview the entire field but details only one specific type of treatment, which is appropriate for only a limited group of patients. Additionally, the reader will need some understanding of dynamic theory in order to appreciate fully the book's sophistication. These points aside, the book affords the reader an opportunity to see one type of short-term treatment in detail with realistic and sound case material presented in a comprehensible and informative manner. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Career counseling: A narrative approach.

Reviews the book, Career counseling: A narrative approach by Larry Cochran (2000). This book introduces a narrative approach to career counselling. The author specifically makes the distinction that this is a counselling approach, not a career development theory. A narrative approach invites counsellors to make their career interventions with clients more personal. In contrast to the traditional objective emphasis in career counselling, this is a subjective approach that emphasizes meaning and meaning-making. Cochran characterizes the central task of career counselling as "emplotment" rather than matching. Emplotment involves casting the individual as the main character in a career narrative that is meaningful, productive, and fulfilling. The book is intended for scholars, professionals, and graduate students who already have some familiarity with counselling and career development. It is presumed that the reader has at least some knowledge and skill in counselling. At the end of each chapter, there are exercises that enable the reader to apply the principles and concepts outlined in the chapter. A client situation is described, and several questions are used to guide the reader. Overall, this book is a welcome addition to the career literature. Indeed, the approach need not only be used in counselling involving work or occupational problems. Meaning-making and narrative concepts can be applied to any and all issues in people's lives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Encounters with great psychologists: Twelve dramatic portraits.

Reviews the book, Encounters with great psychologists: Twelve dramatic portraits by John H. Kunkel (see record 1989-97254-000). John Kunkel has given us a new form of fiction, one which is also intended to lure the lay reader toward an appreciation of that scientific enterprise which is Psychology, and, toward an appreciation of the men who have made it what it is today. The book recounts twelve separate fictional discussions, each of which is between an historical figure in Psychology and some largely imaginary others. These others feed each protagonist not only considerable quantities of good food and drink, but they feed convenient questions as well, questions which allow each great man to show us his wisdom, his gentleness, and his love of humanity. Kunkel's book is not all fiction. It is in part a history of psychology in biography. Each narration is preceded by an abbreviated history of the man and his ideas, setting the scene. Each narration is followed by a debriefing, in which some of the fiction is separated from fact and the references that Kunkel used to spawn his romance are shared with the reader in the form of recommended further reading. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)