Review of Motivation and personality.

Reviews the book, Motivation and personality by A. H. Maslow (1954). As indicated in the preface, "this book was started during the years 1935-1936 and was intended to be a systematic psychology of the older type." Thirteen of the eighteen chapters appeared as separate articles although the author did have an over-all plan into which these separates did fit. There have been only slight changes in the chapters in the preparation of this publication because the author felt that his thinking has "stood up very well." The opening chapter has as its thesis the importance of taking into account the scientist as well as the science, and is followed by a second chapter with a related theme. The third chapter, titled "Holistic-Dynamic Theory in the Study of Personality" is described by the author as being "already somewhat dated." The fourth chapter is titled "Preface to Motivation Theory" and presents some vital concepts such as treating the individual as a whole. In the following chapter, "A Theory of Human Motivation," the author makes the point that "The organism is dominated and its behavior organized by unsatisfied needs." This chapter is followed by one in which the author re-evaluates the instinct theory. Subsequent chapters discuss love and self-actualization. The reviewer reports that overall, the general style of the book as a whole is pleasant in its personal quality and sincerity. It is easy to see how as individual articles, the sections could have been interesting points of departure for discussion, but the assembling of these does not result in an integrated approach nor the "systematic psychology" which the author mentions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Principles of industrial psychology.

Reviews the book, Principles of Industrial Psychology (see record 1955-01700-000). Although "the book is designed as an introductory survey of the entire field of industrial psychology," the reviewer notes that the authors omit many topics. The book presents in substantial fashion those aspects of industrial psychology as the authors perceive it to be. The style of presentation is characterized by critically evaluating research studies reported in the literature and emphasizing the necessary statistical concepts and techniques related to selection of employees. The heavy statistical involvement may make this book a little too difficult for the typical undergraduate student who is not a psychology or statistics major. The reviewer concludes that Principles of Industrial Psychology is an interesting book for a sophisticated audience. It may be misunderstood by typical undergraduates and it may not be too appealing to the man in industry who wishes to apply some principles. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Motivation and personality and Nebraska symposium on motivation.

Reviews the books "Motivation and personality," by A. H. Maslow (see record 1955-02233-000) and "Nebraska Symposium on Motivation," edited by M. R. Jones (see record 1955-02102-000). To be properly appreciated Maslow's book must be read as a protest, an eloquent and at times almost prophetic protest against the traditional homeostatic conception of drives which has held American motivational theory in a strait jacket ever since our psychological forebears first read Darwin. Maslow rightly sees that even men as apparently different as Freud and Hull were essentially the same in one respect. It is particularly interesting to juxtapose the current Nebraska Symposium on Motivation with Maslow's book. Taken as a whole, the Nebraska Symposium is impressive evidence that the study of motivation is in a vigorous and healthy state. There is not only the important controversy between the traditional drive-reduction theorists and the newer "instinctivists" but there is also a wealth of significant empirical research on different kinds of motives. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Human behavior in industry.

Reviews the book Human behavior in industry by W. W. Finlay, A. Q. Sartain and W. M. Tate (see record 1955-03154-000). This book was written to assist executives, supervisors, and foremen in human relations problems. It covers a conglomeration of subjects including motivation, attitudes, public relations, wages, communication, labor relations, American ideology, and industrial organization. The greatest asset of the book is the authors' skill in phrasing concepts in such a way as to be acceptable to industrial readers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Industrial conflict.

The subject of industrial conflict is so broad that one would hope for its treatment to be lengthy, interdisciplinary, and to encompass many specific topics and viewpoints. As such, this book, written under the sponsorship of SPSSI, meets all one's expectations. It sets out with the ambitious purposes of analyzing the determining factors and conditions which give rise to industrial conflict and of assessing various efforts of solution. The book is divided into five main parts: (a) basic issues concerning industrial conflict; (b) roots of industrial conflict (motivational analysis, organization and leadership of groups in conflict, social and economic influences); (c) dealing with industrial conflict (accommodating to conflict, efforts to remove sources of conflict, social control of industrial conflict); (d) industrial conflict in other societies, and (e) Industrial conflict, present and future. Thirty-nine different authors, including academicians, writers, labor leaders, and industrial representatives, have contributed to the book's forty chapters. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Psychology of industrial relations.

Reviews the book, "Psychology of industrial relations," by C. H. Lawshe (see record 1954-03380-000). In the reviewer's opinion, the authors have done a creditable job in presenting a large body of facts and principles, backed up with sufficient references to research literature. However, certain areas to which psychologists have devoted considerable thinking and research are inexplicably omitted or merely mentioned in passing, viz., industrial safety, democracy in management, executive development, employee rating methods, characteristics of the learning curve, transfer of training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Foundations of Experimental Research.

Reviews the book, Foundations of Experimental Research by Robert Plutchik (1968). The reviewer was impressed with the scope, aim, and concept of this book. The author appears to have synthesized, in many cases, the best of what is found in McGuigan's "Experimental Psychology", Underwood's second edition of "Experimental Psychology" and the more advanced text, "Introduction to Psychological Research", by Scott and Wertheimer. In comparison with other books of its level in the field, the book by Plutchik would be certainly recommended. It has failings, but far fewer than most other books that are competitive with it. It is short enough so that where these weaknesses are found, supplementary material can be used in the course. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Social psychology of absenteeism.

Reviews the book, Social psychology of absenteeism by J. K. Chadwick-Jones, N. Nicholson, and C. Brown (1982). This book reports cumulative investigations of voluntary (non-medical) absenteeism in 21 English and Canadian organizations, each of which was studied for a period of one year. The organizations included blue- and white-collar occupations in manufacturing, public transport, banking, and nursing. Data were collected from the personnel records of over 6,000 employees, and job-satisfaction questionnaires were completed by over 1,500 industrial workers; 488 of these were interviewed, as were 231 white-collar employees. In short, this was a large-scale study. It was undertaken because of the authors' disenchantment with the state of the literature on absenteeism. The work of Chadwick-Jones and his colleagues has been at the cutting edge of research on absenteeism for the past fifteen years. This book enhances that record and is mandatory reading for all those who have a serious interest in absenteeism in industry. It also would make worthwhile reading for those with just a casual interest in the field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The psychology of personnel selection.

Reviews the book, The psychology of personnel selection by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic and Adrian Furnham (see record 2010-05140-000). The authors have written an interesting and engaging book that focuses on personnel selection. This book would be a valuable resource for student training in industrial/organizational psychology. The overall organization of the book was appropriate. The methods of selection and constructs of selection provided a useful organizing framework. The information in each chapter was well organized and was presented clearly and succinctly. Introductory and concluding chapters would be helpful for the reader to identify the themes that are addressed in the book and to provide integration and future directions respectively. The authors’ enthusiasm for employee selection is evident throughout the book. It is my opinion that adding chapters on job analysis and the psychology of human behavior (i.e., individual differences) would help effectively establish the context for the selection tools to follow. It would also be helpful to review the criteria that organizations use to assess their selection tools and the organizational performance criteria that these tools have been designed to predict. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Handbook of Human Engineering Data.

Reviews the second edition of the book "Handbook of human engineering data". This Handbook was developed by the Institute for Applied Experimental Psychology of Tufts College, Medford, Massachusetts, under contract with the Special Devices Center of the Office of Naval Research. Work on it was begun in 1947. To many nonpsychologists the Handbook provides the means whereby they first become aware of the broad panorama of scientific concern with man in a nonclinical sense. This reviewer also believes there should be a growing place for the Handbook in training programs throughout the country, whether in college, government, or industry. The Handbook of Human Engineering Data in the opinion of this reviewer is an important contribution which, teamed up with two other major publications in human engineering provides a strong basis for growth and effective practice in human engineering. Consequently people interested therein should have the Handbook available to them. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The Experimental Psychology of Sensory Behaviour.

Reviews the book, The Experimental Psychology of Sensory Behaviour by John F. Corso. The evaluation of John Corso's book depends to a great extent upon the use for which it is intended. As a text for an experimental psychology course, this book unfortunately has some serious limitations. This is of considerable value for some types of courses; however, for a course in experimental psychology it would seem desirable to give students a broader range of methodologies than those used in sensory psychology. This is a good, but somewhat limited, experimental psychology text that would need considerable supplementation from other sources in order to be adequate for general experimental courses in psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Introducing Psychology; an Experimental Approach.

Reviews the book, Psychology; an Experimental Approach by D. S. Wright, Ann Taylor, et al. (see record 1970-13650-000). British undergraduate texts in psychology have been generally poor over the years. Recent offerings suggest a change. Among these is Wright and Taylor's 736 paperback "Introducing Psychology; an Experimental Approach". This text covers in a no-nonsense way the traditional material but minus the expense of visual aid and other teaching crutches so typical of North American texts. The approach gives a good dose of structural factors in behavior. There are, for example, chapters on behavior genetics and on the autonomic nervous system. On the whole, the offering represents a refreshing change from the expensive introductory psychology "artwork" that we are accustomed to in Canada. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of For a science of social man.

Reviews the book "For a science of social man," edited by John Gillin (see record 1955-00669-000). This book is unique. Each of three disciplines--psychology, sociology, and anthropology--is represented by two prominent theoreticians. Thus psychology and sociology are discussed by Newcomb and Parsons, anthropology and psychology by Brewster Smith and Hallowell, and sociology and anthropology by Murdock and Becker. While each chapter is said to be the product of joint authorship, there is relatively little integration, and the authors vary considerably in the manner in which they undertake to fulfill their tasks. As Gillin points out, "No one can say with certainty when or if we shall have a comprehensive and integrated science of social man." While this volume does not answer the "when," it enables the viewer to regard the "if" with considerable optimism. While the book does not bring to light a large number of bridge concepts such as those discussed by Newcomb, it does indicate a number of important areas of mutual concern which can be approached in a noncompetitive fashion. This makes for stimulating reading. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cultural values and employee attitudes: United States and Japan.

Often overlooked in industrial motivation studies is the influence of cultural orientation upon employee attitudes. This is particularly true with respect to the way workers feel about reciprocal obligations in employee-employer relations. Attitudes concerning a broad range of such obligations are influenced strongly by the cultural values indigenous to a given society. For example, such values have been shown to influence worker perception of such matters as employment continuity, economic involvement and personal involvement of management, identification with organization, status transfer, sources of motivation, and other aspects of the work situation. Mutual satisfaction in human relations in industry depends partially upon management understanding of and willingness to work through cultural values and the employee attitudes they engender. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Realms of value: A critique of human civilization.

Reviews the book, Realms of value: A critique of human civilization by Ralph Barton Perry (1954). According to the reviewer, of all the many philosophical treatises on the subject, it is doubtful that any could possibly be more clarifying to the psychologist or more congenial to this author's taste. The author's pivotal concept is interest: "A thing--any thing--has value when it is the object of an interest--any interest" (p.3). Interest is anchored in the solid soil of motivation, cognition, and organization of personality, and conceptually is a close cousin of what most psychologists call attitude. The reviewer states that to a large degree, this author is forced to write his own psychology, since he finds relatively little illumination of "the architecture of interests" in current texts. He reviews what he calls "motoraffective psychology" (not a very happy label) in search of an adequate theory of interest, and finds the outcome mostly negative. The reviewer recommends this book for graduate instruction in psychology because the author's system lies close to the silent presuppositions with while psychologists ordinarily work. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of A History of Western Psychology.

Reviews the book, A History of Western Psychology by David J. Murray (1982). In two respects this is a highly traditional book. First of all, the parts of the subject that are singled out for serious consideration are the most venerable core areas of experimental psychology--above all, sensation, and to a slightly lesser extent, memory and other aspects of cognition. Social psychology gets less than 1% of the total space and such areas as developmental, applied and personality psychology are hardly glanced at. There is however a whole chapter on psychoanalysis. A second traditional feature of the book is expressed in its commitment to the view that the history of psychology is to be treated purely as intellectual history. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Psychoanalysis: Freud’s cognitive psychology.

Reviews the book, Psychoanalysis: Freud’s cognitive psychology by Matthew Hugh Erdelyi (see record 1985-97974-000). Few psychoanalytic clinicians or experimental psychologists ever bother to develop a historical or meta-theoretical perspective on their discipline, or pause to ponder the obstacles encountered and avenues taken or ignored en route to a synthesis between psychoanalytic, experimental and cognitive psychology. For those who have already pondered these issues somewhat, Erdelyi's book is a positive pleasure, full of penetrating insights, programmatic suggestions and astute historical reflections. For those new to the area, it is the best available introduction to the field, grounded, as it is, in a fluent grasp of the various methods and models of unconscious mental processes in these increasingly convergent fields of inquiry. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Destiny and motivation in language.

Reviews the book, Destiny and motivation in language by A.A. Roback (see record 1954-07463-000). This book is a collection of 22 essays on a wide variety of subjects relating to language. In the reviewer's opinion, the most valuable chapter in the book is the one on slang. In this essay, much of which was written forty years ago, the author manages to sustain a line of thought long enough to reach some pretty interesting conclusions. One such conclusion is that slang is the rebel's form of expression, whether the rebel be an adolescent, a criminal, or a member of a persecuted minority. Although this book is not an important contribution to the psychology of language, it will be read with interest by people who like the stimulus of fresh, off-beat speculation. The author has a keen eye for the ironical, an affectionate feeling for words, and a highly permissive attitude toward ideas. It is pretty apparent that this book was undertaken as a labor of love. It deserves to be read and criticized with the same emotion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Applications of personal construct theory.

Reviews the book, Applications of personal construct theory edited by Jack Adams-Webber and James C. Mancuso (1983). Jack Adams-Webber and James Mancuso have edited a book well worth studying. Almost any psychologist will derive some benefit from the research methods used and the results reported. Most psychologists will also be encouraged to discover that there is renewed hope for a successful experimental approach to a number of research questions in personality and abnormal psychology. Applications of personal construct theory is a collection of papers presented at the Fourth International Congress on Personal Construct Psychology held at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, in the summer of 1981. For this volume the editors have chosen all five invited addresses and nineteen selected papers from the more than eighty items of the complete Congress programme. The selection that they have made is varied and contains some excellent chapters. The book's title is somewhat misleading, however, in that there are chapters dealing with theoretical questions and historical material, as well as those that can properly be regarded as applications of personal construct theory. Apart from its general interest, this book would be a possible text for a senior undergraduate course. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)