Review of Behavioral psychology in rehabilitation medicine: Clinical applications.

Reviews the book, Behavioral psychology in rehabilitation medicine: Clinical applications by Laurence P. Ince (1980). This book summarizes, illustrates, and stimulates the application of behavioral psychology to the solution of motoric, cognitive, perceptual, communicative, pain-related, and self-management problems admirably. Overall, this is a book that deserves a prominent place in the preparatory and continuing education of rehabilitation personnel in all of the psychosocial, medical, and engineering disciplines. The volume illustrates the gap that exists between already available technologies and typical programs in rehabilitation centers, programs that, in Friedlander's words, "have barely emerged from the 19th century" (p. 62). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Behavioral approaches to medicine: Application and analysis.

Reviews the book, Behavioral approaches to medicine: Application and analysis edited by J. Regis McNamara (1979). In this book, McNamara has taken a different perspective, emphasizing the content of behavioral assessment and treatment as it applies to the activities of psychologists and other health professionals in medical settings. McNamara speaks of the interpenetration of behavior modification into medicine, much as one might speak of the use of behavior therapy in schools or of the application of behavioral psychology in prisons. Instead of involving the reader in a discussion of the nuances of definitions of fields such as health psychology or behavioral medicine, McNamara sticks with the idea of applying principles from a familiar area to particular problems that arise in a different area. Thus, the focus of the book is on practical problem-solving and on developing a behavioral conceptualization of health care problems. This book is very useful to the extent that it consistently presents this point of view. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Behavioral approaches to cardiovascular disease.

Reviews the book, Behavioral approaches to cardiovascular disease by Richard S. Surwit, Redford B. Williams Jr., and David Shapiro (1982). The authors' stated purpose in this book is to provide a complete and critical review of the state of knowledge in cardiovascular behavioral medicine (as of 1982). The organization of this volume includes four introductory chapters on the conceptual bases of behavioral medicine, summaries of cardiovascular regulation and psychophysiology, and principles of conditioning as they pertain to modifying cardiovascular functions. The core of the book consists of the next four chapters on specific disorders: coronary heart disease, hypertension, Raynaud's phenomenon, and migraine/vascular headache. A final chapter deals with selected clinical issues in the application of behavioral medicine technology. This book is generally clear and well-written, with a consistent style maintained throughout. The authors' message is presented in a manner that is likely to be accepted by physicians as well as psychologists. Unfortunately, the text occasionally presupposes a degree of knowledge of physiology and anatomy that some psychologists may lack (e.g., "attenuation of the baroreceptor-mediated inhibition of sympathetic outflow" —p. 27). This volume is likely to prove most useful to cardiovascular researchers and practitioners in cardiovascular rehabilitation programs or general medical hospitals who employ biofeedback, relaxation techniques, and life style modification procedures. Although it is no longer the "timely review" it was when first published, this book will remain a valuable reference work. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Behavioral analysis of drug dependence.

Reviews the book, Behavioral analysis of drug dependence edited by Steven R. Goldberg and Ian P. Stolerman (1986). This volume brings together the main findings of basic research in behavioral pharmacology that have direct relevance to issues in drug dependence. As the editors note, the book is unique in being organized around behavioral principles rather than specific drug classes. It is also unique in making accessible a series of clearly written, well-edited summaries of the experimental literature to professionals and students who have no special background in behavioral pharmacology. I would recommend the Goldberg and Stolerman collection to researchers as well as substance abuse professionals and I think any student of substance abuse will find much of value here. The book will make a wonderful seminar at the graduate or advanced undergraduate level. Goldberg and Stolerman have succeeded in making an excellent overview of the behavioral pharmacology literature on drug dependence available to us in a single volume. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Behavioral Pharmacology.

Reviews the book, Behavioral Pharmacology by Travis Thompson and Charles R. Schuster (see record 1968-35032-000). This new offering includes a presentation of behavioral pharmacology as a basic science, principles of drug action, discussions of behaviorally active drugs, principles of experimental analyses of behavior, classification of conditioned reflexes and operant behavior, behavioral mechanisms of drug action, drug-environment behavioral interaction and prediction, strategies and new directions for research. This book is recommended for behavioral scientists at the graduate studies level and more senior workers in peripheral fields. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Behavioral health: A handbook of health enhancement and disease prevention.

Reviews the book, Behavioral health: A handbook of health enhancement and disease prevention edited by Joseph D. Matarazzo, Sharlene M. Weiss, J. Alan Herd, Neal E. Miller, and Stephen M. Weiss (1984). The term "behavioral health" is defined in this book as an interdisciplinary field dedicated to promoting a philosophy of health that stresses individual responsibility in the application of behavioral and biomedical science knowledge and techniques to the maintenance of health and the prevention of illness and dysfunction by a variety of self-initiated or shared activities. Overall, this book is a superb contribution to the field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Behavioral Assessment of Childhood Disorders.

Reviews the book, Behavioral Assessment of Childhood Disorders by Eric J. Mash and Leif G. Terdal (Eds.) (1981). Behavioral Assessment of Childhood Disorders will be the standard against which any future volumes on behavioural assessment of children will be compared. Eric Mash and Lief Terdal have covered a broad range of childhood problems in 16 chapters by well-known psychologists. The major strengths of the volume are its broad scope and the clinical and research expertise of the individual contributors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Behavioral scientists in courts and corrections.

Reviews the book, Behavioral scientists in courts and corrections by James T. Ziegenfuss Jr. (1985). Ziegenfuss has put together a systematic account of the activities of behavioural scientists in courts and corrections in a manner that is both coherent and impressive. The book succeeds in its goal of linking law and behavioural science largely because Ziegenfuss provides powerful examples and numerous case studies that illustrate concretely the applications that are possible in the psychology/law interface. Ziegenfuss had three main objectives for the book: to define the functions of behavioural scientists in courts and corrections, to illustrate how these functions contribute meaningfully to court and correctional organizations, and to provide behavioural scientists with an understanding of their potential contributions. Generally, these three objectives are well met. Nevertheless, there are some omissions that are surprising. Although there are several things that I would like to have seen in this book (e.g., a discussion of the law and economics movement), the most conspicuously absent features are discussions of training and discussions of ethics. In fairness to Ziegenfuss, training and ethical issues were not a part of his explicitly stated purposes in the book. I recommend this book for behavioural scientists who are working or intend to work in the legal system. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Medical psychology: Contributions to behavioral medicine.

Reviews the book, Medical psychology: Contributions to behavioral medicine edited by Charles K. Prokop and Laurence A. Bradley (1981). This book is another generally commendable entry on a growing list of books that overview the field of Medical Psychology, Health Psychology, or Behavioral Medicine. The book is divided into four sections: An Introduction, Assessment of Medical Disorders, Treatment and Prevention of Medical Disorders, and Special Topics in Medical Psychology and Behavioral Medicine. The second and third sections account for the bulk of the volume and comprise critical reviews of psychological approaches to assessment and treatment of specific health problems. Both assessment and treatment are mentioned by the editors as areas in which medical psychology has made unique contributions to behavioral medicine. Other issues described as important contributions--issues such as prevention and evaluation--are covered only briefly. This book is a highly useful source book. It is especially valuable to the applied researcher or practitioner who works with several departments in a medical school or other health setting. For such individuals, this volume can provide research and treatment programs in the specialty areas represented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Psychology and Medicine: Psychobiological Dimensions of Health and Illness.

Reviews the book, Psychology and Medicine: Psychobiological Dimensions by Donald Bakal (1979). Bakal believes that psychology "is rapidly becoming an integral part of modern health care delivery systems" and directs his book toward developing this interest by showing the theoretical and practical relevance of psychological concepts to major health problems. In the first section, which has the inclusive title "Medicine: Mind and Body", he describes a "paradigm shift" in medicine, away from an emphasis on the physiological and biochemical systems as basic to understanding disease toward a "psychobiological" approach to illness which focuses on the inter-relationships between the social, psychological, and physiological determinants of health and disease. He amplifies this point by discussing such matters as personality-disease relationships, psychomatic medicine, a cross-cultural variation in models of health and illness and the implications of the split brain research for states of consciousness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Behavioral assessment and rehabilitation of the traumatically brain-damaged.

Reviews the book, Behavioral assessment and rehabilitation of the traumatically brain-damaged by Barry A. Edelstein and Eugene T. Couture (1984). Over the last decade or so, advances in assessment and management within clinical neuropsychology have had a profound impact on rehabilitation psychology. Barry Edelstein and Eugene Couture have edited this book out of a "long-standing interest in the retraining of traumatically brain-damaged adults and the management of their behavior by family members." The editors want to provide a reference that moves from standard neuropsychological assessment to issues of retraining of skill deficits. They hope that this volume will be useful to clinical psychologists, clinical neuropsychologists, rehabilitation medicine specialists, physical therapists, speech pathologists, and other rehabilitation disciplines involved in the treatment and rehabilitation of the traumatically brain-damaged. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral methods for chronic pain and illness: A reconsideration and appreciation.

Behavioral Methods for Chronic Pain and Illness was written by W. E. Fordyce (1976) at a time when psychological contributions to pain were poorly understood, much less the applications of nonpharmacologic methods for addressing this substantial problem. Fordyce's work created a new paradigm for treating pain and other chronic medical problems and spawned operant approaches to chronic pain, in which exercise and adaptive behaviors are reinforced and pain behaviors are extinguished. The quota system for increasing activity, solicitous behavior as reinforcement for chronic pain, and fear of movement as a barrier to patient improvement are all ideas that had their genesis in Fordyce's work. Behavioral Methods will long be remembered as one of the most significant contributions to the field of pain control, behavioral medicine, and rehabilitation psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Behavioral and emotional disorders in adolescents: Nature, assessment and treatments.

Reviews the book, Behavioral and emotional disorders in adolescents: Nature, assessment and treatment by David A. Wolfe and Eric J. Mash (see record 2005-16249-000). The primary goal of this edited volume is to capture the current state of knowledge about the important behavioural and emotional adjustment problems and disorders of adolescence. Through 20 chapters by foremost experts, the reader is apprised of the unique features of these disorders in adolescents in comparison with children and adults, and of the importance of developmental issues and a developmental perspective. Any thought that adolescent disorders are adequately addressed by upward extension of knowledge of child disorders and downward extension of knowledge of adult disorders is compellingly dispelled. The unique compilation of empirical findings specifically for adolescents is a boon to those pursuing research, teaching or evidence- based practice with this age group. This book will be mandatory reading for any mental health professional, including academics, graduate students, and clinicians working with or teaching about troubled adolescents. As a text, it is excellent for a graduate course on the subject, and an essential reference source for those teaching abnormal development at the undergraduate level or providing clinical service to adolescents and their families. The book will be a classic in the field and a mandatory starting point for any professional interested in a detailed overview of the state of the art in Western societies, including researchers interested in an overview of areas outside their own specific expertise. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Handbook of behavioral medicine.

Reviews the book, Handbook of behavioral medicine by W. Doyle Gentry (1984). This volume, which was years in the writing, is less a handbook than it is a compendium of well-written chapters by outstanding researchers discussing selected important areas in the field of behavioral medicine. These areas include psychosocial factors related to etiology of disease; cardiovascular, immunological, and gastrointestinal disease mechanisms; coping; patient decision-making; compliance; and behavioral and community interventions. This volume is not as inclusive as one would expect from a handbook, neither in thoroughness of literature reviews nor in topic areas covered. However, the chapter topics are well chosen and the book provides a detailed assessment of current work in these important areas. The reviewer found this volume to be impressive because of the high quality of writing and the careful discussion of issues and research in each of these important topic areas. Those wanting to keep informed about conceptual models and research findings in the health psychology and behavioral medicine areas will find this book to be invaluable. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Psychological and behavioral aspects of physical disability—A manual for health practitioners.

Reviews the book, Psychological and behavioral aspects of physical disability—A manual for health practitioners by James E. Lindemann (1981). According to the authors indication in the preface, this book is a guide for professionals who work with people with serious physically disabling conditions. It aims to provide information and "how-to" suggestions for evaluation and treatment of physical disabilities. The book focuses on helping people make decisions, acquire skills, and seek experiences that permit them most fully to enjoy the competency and satisfaction of human existence. It is based on the emerging development in behavioral medicine and health psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Religion and Medicine: Essays on Meaning, Values, and Health.

Reviews the book, Religion and Medicine: Essays on Meaning, Values, and Health by David Belgum (ed.) (1967). This volume is a collection of 23 essays; two had not been published previously. They are divided into five general sections: 1. The Health of the Whole Man; 2. Psychological Aspects; 3. Meaning and Health; 4. Values, Guilt, and Illness; 5. Treatment-Where Meaning, Values, and Religion are Concerned. Most of the contributors appear to be academics, and the emphasis of the volume is more theoretical than applied. This volume does not particularly eliminate that void, but it may provide some interesting ideas for the pastoral and counselling practitioner who would like to reflect on the point of what he is doing. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Three books on cardiovascular psychophysiology: Cardiovascular psychophysiology, Perspectives in cardiovascular psychophysiology, and Behavioral approaches to cardiovascular disease.

Reviews the books, Cardiovascular psychophysiology by Paul A. Obrist (1981); Perspectives in cardiovascular psychophysiology, edited by John T. Cacioppo and Richard E. Petty (1982); and Behavioral approaches to cardiovascular disease, edited by Richard S. Surwit, Redford B. Williams Jr., and David Shapiro (1981). Interest in the role of psychological factors in cardiovascular functions long predates the emergence of the field of cardiovascular psychophysiology, but the integration of behavioral science methodology with modern cardiovascular physiology and medicine has provided the basis for a rapid growth of knowledge in recent years which is the subject of these volumes. Paul Obrist's semi-autobiographical monograph, Cardiovascular psychophysiology recounts the scientific evolution of one of the field's most prolific and visible investigators. The book is intended to champion one cause, that of the legitimacy of a psychophysiological strategy in the study of one aspect of cardiovascular pathophysiology; namely, essential hypertension. Perspectives in cardiovascular psychophysiology provides summaries of research findings from a number of active laboratory programs. The editors state that the book is intended to provide a "cross section" of current research for advanced undergraduate and graduate students. Behavioral approaches to cardiovascular disease is an attempt to illustrate the value of a systematic behavioristic orientation to intervention in cardiovascular disease. This book is the most ambitious of the three in terms of the range of material covered, but also in terms of the effort to bridge the gap between the laboratory and clinic. Though many new data have been reported even since publication of these three books, each remains a valuable contribution: the first, as an example of the results of interplay between hypothesis and experimentation; the second, as a sampler of the diversity of approaches to cardiovascular psychophysiology; and the third, as a summary of the state of the art in behavioral treatment of cardiovascular disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Pain and behavioral medicine: A cognitive-behavioral perspective.

Reviews the book, Pain and behavioral medicine: A cognitive-behavioral perspective by Dennis C. Turk, Donald Meichenbaum, and Myles Genest (1983). This book represents the convergence of current interest in two rapidly developing and exciting fields of endeavour for psychologists: behavioural medicine and cognitive-behavioural intervention. The book accepts and more than satisfactorily responds to three challenges: to provide professionals in the health sciences with an overview of the cognitive-behavioural perspective on human functioning; to present the rationale, development, and utilization of cognitive-behavioural techniques in the promotion of health, the prevention of disease, and the treatment of illness; and to present a systematic perspective on the management of pain, including theoretical, research, and clinical issues. The reader with a serious interest in understanding health, and practitioners devoted to enhancing health, would do well to examine this book. No caring health professional involved in pain management, whether psychologist, physician, nurse, or otherwise, should be deficient in the knowledge base and practical procedures described here. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Intentional Changes.

Reviews the book, Intentional Changes by Allen Tough (1982). In this book, Allen Tough intends to reach an academic and professional audience with a plea for recognition of the importance of self-initiated changes. To support his "power to the person" message, Tough presents a large body of data from 150 intensive interviews in England, Canada, and the United States. Another 180 interviews contributed to the development of a formal interview schedule and of ideas. He identifies four major themes that emerge from his data--themes that underlie his arguments for greater personal freedom and for the provision of non-intrusive help to facilitate the use of that freedom. The reviewer found the book to be an interesting and worthwhile book to read, although the data presented are too flawed to be persuasive. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)