Transcending and broadening Leonard's (1999) "Becoming a consultant: The real stories".

This article, stimulated by H. Skipton Leonard's (1999) "Becoming a Consultant: The Real Stories," extends Leonard's coverage of what consultants do by depicting the roles of consultants beyond the clinician, encompassing industrial organizational consultants, consumer psychologists, human factors specialists, and social psychological consultants. The activities of part-time consultants, those engaged in the public sector and those who offer consultant services pro bono are also covered, all of which is intended to broaden and deepen Leonard's useful but somewhat limited presentation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The body.

Reviews the book, The body by Donn Welton (1999). Over the last century, the nature and meaning of human embodiment has emerged as one of the more significant areas of philosophical and psychological inquiry. From at least the time of Edmund Husserl, many thinkers in the Continental tradition have striven to re-conceptualize the body and its relationship to self and other in such a way as to avoid the pitfalls of more traditional, reductionistic attempts that view the body solely in physical or biological terms. In this helpful volume, part of Blackwell’s Readings in Continental Philosophy series, Welton has brought together for the first time many of the foundational twentieth-century writings on the concept of embodiment. This book provides not only a cluster of theories articulated by philosophers seeking to move beyond the inherent limitations and contradictions of Modern philosophy, but also new appropriations and insights from psychoanalysis, social history, literary theory, and gender theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The mind.

Reviews the book, The mind, edited by Daniel N. Robinson (1998). The book includes a compilation of 79 selections and excerpts on the nature of mind. The text is divided into six major sections, each of which is prefaced by a careful and insightful introduction to the central issues and concerns of the selections which follow. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The I.

The reviewer notes that a professor of English and psychoanalyst, Norman Holland brings us illumination in the direction of humanity in an age when the mechanistic theme has become so prevalent in psychology, psychiatiry and psychoanalysis. Holland informs us of individuality, of uniqueness apart from the statistical heavy hand. Acknowledging his debt to Erikson and Lichtenstein, Holland uses the concept of identity to bring into coherence an individual's lifelong behavior. He views identity as a theme or style albeit with variations, that characterizes an individual from inchoation to the very end. Obstructions and interferences with the identity theme constitute frustrations, which in turn lead to crises and to the bevy of aberrations observed in the consultation room, in life, and in literature. In other words, we track the exquisitely fragile "I" and its vicissitudes. Although we are constantly doing new things, our "style" never changes. (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 Madhouse and The Lobotomist.

Reviews the books, Madhouse: A Tragic Tale of Megalomania and Modern Medicine by Andrew Scull (see record 2005-06776-000); and The Lobotomist: A Maverick Medical Genius and His Tragic Quest to Rid the World of Mental Illness by Jack El-Hai (see record 2005-02343-000). In both books, the history of experimental clinical psychiatry is laid bare with devastating accounts of the efforts to conquer mental illness by any means necessary. Both books are fascinating reading and may illuminate our current context in which the biological avenues for treating mental disorders continue to traffic in hopes of a one-size-fits-all cure, while psychoanalysis ambivalently struggles with how to conduct rigorous research to demonstrate the efficacy of our treatment. Andrew Scull's book Madhouse offers a well-documented historical account of a bizarre episode in American psychiatric history. The centerpiece of Scull's investigative work is Henry Cotton, MD, the superintendent of the Trenton State Hospital in Trenton, New Jersey, from 1907-1930. Once Cotton arrived at Trenton, he was appalled by the conditions he found and instituted reforms such as eliminating the culture of violence by attendants, removing over 700 pieces of restraining equipment from the hospital, and introducing occupational therapy. Jack El-Hai gives us the next segment of psychiatric surgery in his book The Lobotomist, a biography of the neurologist, turned surgical outlaw, Walter Freeman, MD. Walter Freeman was a neurologist fascinated with science and experimentation. Settling into work at St. Elizabeth's hospital in Washington, DC, in 1924, Freeman eventually joined the faculty of George Washington University where he remained until 1954. At that time neurosyphilis was the scourge of mental hospitals producing thousands of victims who were totally disabled by the neurological sequellae of tertiary illness. Thus lobotomy became an efficient outpatient procedure that could be applied to a larger patient population. Both of these books are important reading. Of all the great medical advances of the last century, surely the one that stands out as perhaps the greatest is the Nuremberg Code of 1947, which requires a competent patient giving informed consent to treatment and to research efforts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Correction and comment: "Becoming a consultant: The real stories" (Leonard, 1999).

Distinctions in appointed and elected government positions are additions to H. S. Leonard (see record 1999-10840-001). Clarifications give tribute to two mentoring psychologists who died in February and March, 1999, respectively: Lyman V. Ginger, educational psychologist and elected official in Kentucky, and Arthur W. Combs, humanistic psychologist and perceptual/person-centered theorist in Colorado. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The unconscious reconsidered.

Reviews the book, The unconscious reconsidered edited by Kenneth S. Bowers and Donald Meichenbaum (1986). A discussion of the unconscious from the clinical perspective is joined by discussions from cognitive, psychobiological, and behavioural perspectives in this book. The major contribution of the book is to provide intelligent discussions of the unconscious. The chapters are informative, and include points that are controversial enough to spur useful further discussion of the roles played by the unconscious. Discussion of the unconscious is a pleasurable pursuit, and is likely to make an important contribution to psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The Clinical Psychologist.

Reviews the book, The Clinical Psychologist edited by Bernard Lubin and Eugene E. Levitt (1967). In all, there are 51 papers and reports, many of them prepared for the American Psychological Association to present material on the deliberations of Committees, meetings, or conferences. They cover the two decades from the 1947 Shakow Report but, as one might expect, the bulk of papers (37) were written in the sixties. The papers, which deal with a broad range of problems and concerns in clinical psychology, are presented in six sections. As with all "collected" books the style and presentation is uneven from paper to paper since each was prepared for a different purpose and publication. One can also criticize because others weren't included or because there is much emphasis given to those from recent years. However, I wish to leave no doubt in the reader's mind that I think this is an excellent collection not only for students and colleagues from other disciplines who are interested in knowing more about the clinical psychologist, but also as a handy reference to our antecedents, our present concerns and, maybe where we are going. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The compleat therapist.

Reviews the book, The compleat therapist by Jeffrey A. Kottler (see record 1990-98953-000) . The Compleat Therapist begins with an assessment of the state of the art of psychotherapy, concluding with the observation first articulated by Goldfried in his landmark 1982 book, Converging Themes in Psychotherapy: The number of therapies has expanded exponentially over recent years, and paradigm strain mandates attempt to find commonalities and integrations. The book then proceeds to summarize research findings and the writer's personal observations regarding variables common to most therapies and to most effective therapists. The Compleat Therapist homogonizes therapy, and in so-doing points out the risks of the integrative psychotherapy movement. By putting all therapies into one blender and whirling them into one concoction, the unique techniques and insights of each tend to get lost. The result can be, and in this case is, a loss of data. The significant contributions of each type of therapy are submerged in the hunt for common elements. This book's conclusion seems to be that anything works, and why is a mystery. As a professional discipline we need to set our sights higher than that. An approach to integration that looks only at common factors is like looking at antibiotics, aspirin, and cortisone, all of which make people feel better, to find their commonality. Yes, they are all medicines, but that data does not facilitate treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The competent child.

Reviews the book, The competent child by Joseph M. Strayhorn (see record 1988-97840-000). The Competent Child is an outline of Strayhorn's approach to psychotherapy. The value of this text rests in its ability to present a clear and practical guide to therapy with children, while respecting the individuality of the therapist and client. In developing his approach to psychotherapy, Strayhorn was guided by two concepts: 1) all psychotherapy can be subsumed under a competence-based approach and 2) psychotherapy is essentially a learning-based intervention which involves the acquisition of skills. The first five chapters of the book provide the background for understanding the skills X method approach and instruct the reader as to how to assess a child's skills. The next three chapters are devoted to the application of the approach to children, adolescents and parents. In chapter nine Strayhorn discusses the difficulties one can have in producing positive results in therapy and attempts to deal with some of the difficulties one might run in to. The final two chapters propose ways of expanding the competence approach into preventive mental health and raise research questions. The book can be recommended to seasoned child practitioners looking to expand their repertoire of skills and to novices seeking to go beyond theory to practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The addiction-prone personality.

Reviews the book, The addiction-prone personality by Gordon E. Barnes, Robert P. Murray, David Patton, Peter M. Bentler, and Robert E. Anderson (see record 2000-08683-000). In the first section of this text, Barnes et al. embark on a review, almost exclusively of the alcohol-personality literature using l979 as the point of departure. This date marked the publication of a previous review by Barnes, in which the traits of stimulus augmenting-reducing, ego strength, neuroticism, and field dependence were featured. The literature to that date, viewed sympathetically, was replete with untestable theoretical ideas, methodologically limited investigations, and suspect and contradictory conclusions. These facts, recognized by Barnes, nonetheless resulted in a conclusion emphasizing these four traits and the initiation of a 20-year journey chronicalled in this text. Thus, the present review, in part, represents an effort to evaluate this 1979 conclusion in light of more recent findings. As one might suspect, this attempt though laudable is only partially successful. Although embarking on a treacherous time-consuming voyage with prospects of disaster and time wasted, Barnes et al. have produced a composite, cogent, and consistent picture of the role of personality in alcohol problems, which is both highly informative and challenging. Barnes, Murray, Patton, Bentler, and Anderson have not only survived the passage, justifying years of concentrated effort, but also have provided interested researchers and therapists with a relatively consistent picture to guide inquiry and practice. In particular, the challenge is raised to the treatment community to begin to account for these predictors in their efforts, and to develop appropriate treatment and prevention strategies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The Doomsday Book.

Reviews the book, The Doomsday Book by Gordon R. Taylor (1970). The subject of the book is ecology, people pollution, oxygen depletion, melting the ice cap, metals in the human system, the dangers of asbestos, and other noisy topics. The arguments are well documented and point to his ultimate concern which is not pollution as such but the rape of the biosphere and the radical change in the conditions of man which will follow. The reviewer is not optimistic about solving the problems of human behaviour posed by Taylor or that these problems will have impact on behavioural scientists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The February Man.

Reviews the book, The February Man by Milton A. Erickson and Earnest Lawrence Rossi (see record 1989-97424-000). This book is a recording of the late Erickson's hypnotic sessions, in the early years of his practice—1945, with a young female nurse who had a swimming phobia. During those sessions, The February Man, a kindly visitor, was utilized in the hypnotic sessions. The recording had been in Erickson's files for years. In the early 1970s he gave it to Rossi for study. Exchanges regarding theory and technique are explored and explained. The followers of Erickson will gladly embrace this work as further evidence of the genius and clinical capacity of their leader—their unchallenged guru. Without doubt, Erickson was a gifted hypnotherapist. Yet, some puzzling aspects merge in this book. Why is it that Rossi is needed to explain Erickson's work? However, The February Man will still be welcomed by hypnotherapists, but especially by the followers of Erickson. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The achievement motive.

Reviews the book, The achievement motive by David C. McClelland, John W. Atkinson, Russell A. Clark, & Edgar L. Lowell (1953). This book reports a swarm of little experiments, no one of which is more than a pilot study, but all of which are focused on one human need. The host of miniature demonstrations creates a fascinating pattern, from which the reader, like the authors, may learn "not only a lot about the achievement motive but other areas of personality as well". At the same time, the reader keeps glimpsing idea after idea for use in his own future research. He finds provocative inductive treatment of the nature of the achievement motive, its effects on behavior, especially school performance, and its origins in infancy and culture. All this "builds up the total picture out of many small experiments by a slow process of going from fact to hypothesis and back to fact again". It makes a methodologically fascinating illustration of what can be done inductively to explore a new field when the explorers possess the proper wit. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The Day After: The impact of a media event.

Discusses the extent and nature of public reaction to the TV film, The Day After, which presented a fictional account of the aftermath of nuclear attack. Events preceding the broadcast, factors contributing to the conclusion that the film had no impact, the film's impact on certain types of attitudes and behaviors, and implications for the activist psychologist are discussed. (46 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The parent-child connection.

[Correction Notice: An erratum for this article was reported in Vol 31(2) of Canadian Psychology Psychologie Canadienne (see record 2007-08913-001). In the October 1989 issue (Vol. 30, No. 4, p. 697), Arnold Rincover's affiliation with the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education was incorrectly given as Associate Professor. He has been an Extramural Instructor at O.I.S.E.] Reviews the book, The parent-child connection by Arnold Rincover (1988). The parent-child connection is a well written book that offers valuable advice to help parents of young children evaluate and understand their children's behaviour. It also offers useful suggestions on managing child behaviour, although these parenting tips are most likely to be useful to those parents who least need them (i.e., those with numerous personal and social resources, whose children are presenting only minor behavioural difficulties). The two general themes of the book, child behaviour as communication and developmental norms as guidelines for deciding if behaviour is problematic, are well-suited to the purposes of a parent reference book. They offer an appropriate framework for discussing specific child behaviours and helping parents to determine if these behaviours are problematic in their children. This book is a welcome addition to the list of available parenting books, and may prove particularly useful for younger parents in need of accurate and understandable information about normal child development and behaviour. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The dissociative mind.

Reviews the book, The dissociative mind by Elizabeth F. Howell (see record 2005-14945-000). In her book, The Dissociative Mind, Elizabeth Howell presents a complex and thorough overview of what she describes as a "sea change" in psychoanalytic theory. From her vantage point as both psychoanalyst and traumatologist, she demonstrates how, in the last 15-20 years, relational trauma and the resulting impact on the individual mind-namely the splits and fissures that comprise dissociation- have made their way back into psychoanalytic thinking. Howell's elaboration of the overwhelmed, traumatized mind is very useful in clients who present with problems in thinking or who have limited capacity to symbolize. However, detailed clinical material of how an analyst thinking of dissociated self states would work with such a client, what Bromberg termed the "relational bridge," would support her fundamental assertions more effectively. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)