Review of Historical Roots of Contemporary Psychology.

Reviews the book, Historical Roots of Contemporary Psychology, edited by Benjamin B. Wolman (see record 1968-35019-000). This volume consists of 16 original essays divided into three general headings: Part One--Association, animal psychology, and conditioning; Part Two--Free association and psychoanalysis; and Part Three--Kant, personalism, and the cultural approach. The subject matter of the papers is primarily concerned with the nineteenth century and includes such names as Herbart, Sechenov, McDougall, Pavlov, James, Janet, Kant, Bretano, Wundt, Bradley, Ward, Stout, Stern, and Vygotskii. The reviewer notes a number of problems with this book: no uniformity in presentation; no explanation of why the particular topics or authors were chosen, or what the authors' qualifications are; no editing for spelling, punctuation, and grammar; and no effort to provide an adequate index. All of the criticisms aside, the reviewer notes that many of the individual papers are quite valuable, and thus recommends the papers, if not the book. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

What's in a name? Many fascinating things.

Reviews the book, Names for Things: A Study of Human Learning by John Macnamara (1982). The reviewer commends Macnamara for writing a convincing book that undermines most of the popular psychological and philosophical approaches to meaning, reference, language learning and cognitive development. The major subject matter of this book is how children learn the names for things. Macnamara dismisses the view that children are unable to arrange related ideas into adult-like hierarchical orders, as Piaget claims. The reviewer feels the weakest part of the book is the author's chapter on the definition of "meaning", but does admit to having a much richer concept of what meaning is not. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Social psychology, an interdisciplinary approach.

Reviews the book, Social psychology, an interdisciplinary approach by Hubert Bonner (1953). According to the reviewer, it has been argued that most textbooks in the social sciences are really written from other textbooks in the same area. Bonner's text seems singularly invulnerable to this complaint. The author has brought together materials from an unusually wide variety of sources and organized them into a book which shows definite signs of some original thinking about how a text in social psychology should be put together, and what should go into it. The reviewer states that in general, Bonner's theoretical position is, for today, not an especially distinctive one. The extent of his concern with the social and cultural context within which behavior occurs, however, is unusual and can be conveyed only in part by the headings of the three main divisions of his book: Social Interaction, the social matrix of behavior; Culture and Behavior, cultural values and personal-social adjustment; Group Dynamics, social change and collective behavior. The reviewer states that this book is particularly useful for students who are interested in getting an understanding of social behavior within the scope of a single course, and who do not intend to do advanced work in the social sciences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Breaking free of managed care: A step-by-step guide to regaining control of your practice.

Reviews the book, Breaking free of managed care: A step-by-step guide to regaining control of your practice by Dana C. Ackley (see record 1997-97500-000). This book provides a practitioner's blueprint for moving from dependent (on managed care) to independent practice. It is organized around three major themes: 1) dealing with managed care; 2) the business of managed care-free therapy; and 3) the array of psychotherapists' services. The reviewer points out that the author tends to overlook some problem areas in psychotherapy. In addition, he takes some of his own skills as a doctoral-level clinical psychologist for granted and fails to appeal to practitioners with minimal training or expertise. However, overall, the reviewer believes that this is a highly enjoyable and practically useful book which provides some guidance to practitioners wanting to "break free from managed care." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The covert conditioning handbook.

Reviews the book, The covert conditioning handbook by Joseph R. Cautela and Albert J. Kearney. Covert conditioning procedures were first developed by Joseph Cautela in the late 1960s. Now twenty years later, Cautela and coauthor Kearney have systematically organized the experimental and clinical literature on covert conditioning to provide an extensive review of its uses and effectiveness. The book includes explanations of the two most widely utilized covert conditioning procedures--covert positive reinforcement and covert sensitization--as well as the lesser known ones such as covert extinction, covert modeling, covert negative reinforcement, and covert response cost. In textbook format, the learning theory basis for each procedure is given, the clinical application is detailed, and relevant research findings are discussed. The second part of the book describes the use of covert conditioning procedures with different problem behaviors by providing case examples and by reviewing empirical evidence and case reports. The book is ideal for the beginning behavior therapist since the procedures are outlined clearly and with considerable detail. Drawing on their vast clinical experience with the methods, the authors discuss problems using the imagery-based techniques and the steps to ameliorate them. More experienced behavior therapists, while finding much of the material elementary, will glean some useful clinical tips and discover some innovative and more effective ways of using covert methods. Researchers will appreciate the careful analyses of 13 selected studies on covert conditioning, as well as the useful guidelines for interpreting and conducting research. A helpful feature of the book is an extensive bibliography (442 references) with a topical index that can be used to locate references on a particular procedure, target behavior, or type of article (case study, experimental, or theoretical). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The clinical documentation sourcebook: A comprehensive collection of mental health practice forms, handouts, and records.

Reviews the book, The clinical documentation sourcebook: A comprehensive collection of mental health practice forms, handouts, and records by Donald E. Wiger (see record 1997-08921-000). According to the reviewer, the author of this book accomplishes six challenging tasks. He 1) provides the essential forms for operating a sound clinical practice; 2) incorporates the key data elements in the forms with a rationale describing use and purpose; 3) keeps the manual user friendly without flooding the reader with a lot of unnecessary text; 4) includes both blank forms and a computer disk for ease in modifying forms; 5) provides forms that lend themselves for ease in data collection for research and practice profiling and; 6) offers the book and software at a very reasonable price. Dr. Wiger makes a cogent case that his forms and clinical documentation will satisfy the demands of managed-care organizations. The reviewer highlights some areas of the book where improvement is possible. He then concludes that this book gives a private-practice clinician or a behavioral-health group/agency the tools to operate a practice ethically, legally, and in line with accreditation standards and third-party payer requirements. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The trauma response: Treatment for emotional injury.

Reviews the book, The trauma response: Treatment for emotional injury by Diana S. Everstine and Louis Everstine (see record 1993-97113-000). The major premise of this book is that PTSD, as defined in the DSM-III-R, should be reconceptualized and recognized as "trauma response." This shift in focus emphasizes normalcy and a nonpathological recovery process as opposed to adherence to a disease model of psychological affliction in which a "disorder" is diagnosed and treated. The stated purpose of this book is to help clinicians identify, measure, and treat emotional trauma. This book is comprehensive and divided into four parts, covering topics such as the phenomenon of trauma, treatment for adult trauma, hidden trauma, trauma in the work place and trauma and the law. According to the reviewer, the book as a whole reflects valuable learning that has accrued from the authors' clinical experiences in working with victims of trauma. A diverse readership would benefit from this addition to the clinical literature. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Dynamic and abnormal psychology.

Reviews the book, Dynamic and abnormal psychology by W. S. Taylor(see record 1955-01101-000). According to the reviewer, the standards set up for this book by the publishers include system, comprehensiveness, and readability. The first and second are readily conceded; the third calls for more scrutiny. The reviewer states that Professor Taylor offers this book explicitly as a text for courses in its field, for supplementary and reference use in related fields, and as a "survey for independent readers." These objectives are somewhat disparate, and a reviewer can only hope to be reasonably clear about the one for which he is from time to time trying to evaluate. According to the reviewer, for the "independent reader" let this counsel suffice. Do not try to read this book as you would a story, or even the work of an essayist. Take it in small doses. You can open it at random and within two minutes should find something rewarding--which ought to be justification for any book. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Work motivation: History, theory, research, and practice.

Reviews the book, Work motivation: History, theory, research, and practice by Gary Latham (see record 2006-11764-000). The reviewer commends Latham for writing an empirically comprehensive and "personal" book on work motivation. Included is a history of work motivation studies throughout the last 100 years, directions for future research, and the author's reflections on what he has learned about the field on his own professional and personal journey through life. The reviewer praises the author's style highly, and recommends this book to all. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Parenting Assessments in Child Welfare Cases: A Practical Guide.

In this article the author provides a review of the book by Terry Pezzot-Pearce and John Pearce. The author states that this book sets out to fulfil four major goals: 1) presenting a model for comprehensive parenting assessments; 2) setting out the practical steps to be taken in such assessments; 3) identifying potential errors in carrying out assessments; and 4) providing critical considerations, identified by the authors as "practice alerts." The reviewer believes these goals are fulfilled in exhaustive fashion, thus providing a comprehensive text for those called upon to make such complex judgments. In fact, the reviewer suggests that the book could be titled a practical and theoretical guide for parenting assessments in child welfare and in consideration of custody and access decision-making. A refrain throughout the book is the reminder that the central question in parenting assessments is: Can this parent meet the needs of this particular child? Once this is understood then the complexity of the work becomes apparent. The author presents strengths, weaknesses, and a summary of the book. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Foundations and applications of group psychotherapy: A sphere of influence.

Reviews the book, Foundations and applications of group psychotherapy: A sphere of influence by Mark F. Ettin (see record 1992-97575-000). In a series of original chapters and adaptations of earlier stand-alone journal articles, Ettin reworks classic psychodynamic contributions and more recent object relations theorizing into a nicely organized and synthesized whole that compellingly underscores the necessity for appreciating the group qua group. The reviewer highlights several positive things about this book including the colorful, lyrical language and poignant clinical vignettes. However, there are some drawbacks: the text is "not an easy read." The language seems overly figurative and the material covered too expansive. Despite these drawbacks, this reviewer would recommend the book to novice as well as experienced practitioner. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Readings in social psychology: Classic and Canadian contributions.

Reviews the book, Readings in social psychology: Classic and Canadian contributions edited by Brian Earn and Shelagh Towson (1986). Earn and Towson argue that students should know that social psychology is an active discipline with significant contributions from their own nation, that there are areas of research of particular relevance to the Canadian context, and that they should be able to gain from incidental learning about their own society. The format of the book is rather conventional. Readings are grouped into content areas: social motives (aggression and altruism), social influence, attitudes, social interactions (attraction and loneliness), attribution and cognition, ethnic relations, prejudice, and applications (TV influence, social support, law). It includes contributions by many of the most prominent social psychologists in Canada, and several "classic" papers by U.S. social psychologists. As one who has long regretted the fact that we are compelled to teach social psychology with only foreign materials, the reviewer welcomes the publication of this book. The reviewer hopes that in the second edition the editors take more seriously the purpose of a book of readings, and set out to communicate to undergraduate students what social psychological research is all about. The reviewer also hopes that the publisher is able to produce a volume that looks more professional and is easier to read. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dual scaling: An alternative approach to categorical data.

Reviews the book, Analysis of Categorical Data: Dual Scaling and its Applications by S. Nishisato (1980). The reviewer provides a detailed analysis of the ideas explored by the author in this book about dual scaling, or optimal scaling as it is sometimes known. The reviewer believes that the text is an important resource in statistics and psychometrics, and that it undoubtedly will continue to be the standard work on this branch of the new "attribute statistics". For anyone serious about categorical data analysis, the reviewer strongly recommends this book. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The Writing Cure: How Expressive Writing Promotes Health and Emotional Well-Being.

The reviewer notes that this book (S. J. Lepore and J. M. Smyth [Eds.], 2002; see record 2002-01516-000) consists of 14 chapters exploring the therapeutic implications of expressive writing. The book succeeds in its efforts to present and evaluate current research on the health benefits of writing. The contributors chart new directions for future research and suggest the clinical and therapeutic applications of writing. One common theme running throughout the book is that writing facilitates cognitive integration. Another theme is that writing leads to self-mastery. The Writing Cure is a groundbreaking book, but the reviewer wishes that the editors had widened their focus to include research in the humanities, particularly literary studies and rhetoric and composition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Normality and the life cycle: A critical integration.

Reviews the book, Normality and the life cycle: A critical integration by Daniel Offer and Melvin Sabshin (1984). In 1966 and 1974, Basic Books published the first and second editions of Offer and Sabshin's Normality: Theoretical and Clinical Concepts of Mental Health. These volumes generated the proposal that a new field, called normatology, be established. It would focus on normality, normal behavior, and normal development. This still more recent volume develops the proposal and is an attempt to fill the need to "examine concepts of normality and definitions of normal behavior through time and across cultures". Both of the editors (and most of the contributors) are medically trained, and their professional orientation is apparent throughout the book. Although claims are made that the approach to normatology should be interdisciplinary, and four different concepts of normality are offered, the main concern of most of the chapters seem to be that of differentiating the healthy from the unhealthy. The editors even note that the terms "normality" and "mental health" are used interchangeably. Several chapters have a developmental orientation, but these too are typically concerned with distinguishing normal from abnormal developmental processes. Individual papers are scholarly, but in some cases seem directionless. The most seminal ideas in the book are presented by Mandell and Salk, whose chapter proposes a theory of emergent patterns that could have implications in the future both for general developmental theory and for specific theories of learning that might influence rehabilitation psychology. A previous reviewer has judged that this chapter alone is worth the price of the book, and this judgment may well be correct. Those who purchase this book should do so primarily for its reviews of the literature, which are generally complete and competent. Purchasers will probably be disappointed if they expect to find much that is of direct value to rehabilitation or that contributes in a substantive to the founding of a new science of normality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Hypnotism: an objective study in suggestibility.

Reviews the book, Hypnotism: an objective study in suggestibility, by A. M. Weitzenhofer (see record 1954-05565-000). It has been said that there is a resurgence of interest in hypnosis with a periodicity of about 30 years. This book among many others is partly the result of the present climb toward the crest of the wave. After reviewing the experimental literature Weitzenhofer surveys critically the theories of hypnosis. He rejects all of these theories either in whole or part because of inadequacies and then formulates one of his own. To the reviewer none of these theories, including that of the author, is very enlightening. They all lack predictive power, which in the reviewer's opinion is one of the principal functions of a scientific theory. The reviewer believes, though, that this book will be profitable reading for all who have even the slightest scientific interest in hypnosis, and for others it may generate interest if they can but find time to study it. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Children of alcoholics: Critical perspectives.

Reviews the book Children of alcoholics: Critical perspectives edited by Michael Windle and John S. Searles ( 1990-97263-000). This book is divided into nine separate chapters, including introductory and summary chapters and chapters on epidemiology, biochemical markers, neuropsychology and neurophysiology, behavior genetics, personality, family environment, and intervention. On balance, the contributions are up-to-date and scholarly, and they successfully illustrate the methodological issues and shortcomings across the various areas of children of alcoholics (COAs) research and provide theoretical perspectives for integrating the existing data. Throughout the book, biopsychosocial and developmental issues are stressed. The reviewer believes that this in itself is an important contribution because much of the writing in this area overemphasizes either biological or psychosocial factors to the exclusion of the other. Biologically oriented researchers often appear to support overly simplistic, reductionistic approaches, whereas psychosocial theorists (even when paying lip service to biological factors) often fail to appreciate that some of their key "environmental" constructs might be reflecting genetically determined phenomena (e.g., as in the case of gene-environment correlation). In the final chapter, Windle and Searles do an admirable job of integrating and bringing a sense of coherence to the multidisciplinary research literature. The reviewer believes their suggestions for future research are right on the mark and should be heeded by the next generation of COA researchers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Fathers who fail: Shame and psychopathology in the family system.

Reviews the book, Fathers who fail: Shame and psychopathology in the family system by Melvin R. Lansky (see record 1992-98607-000). This book is composed of a collection of the author's essays which attempt to understand "the psychiatrically impaired father in a truly dynamic way." Drawing on contemporary psychoanalysis, family systems theory, and the sociology of conflict, Lansky sketches a richly textured portrait of fathers who fail. The reviewer believes that Lansky's probing discussion of narcissistic equilibrium in the family system enables him to chart the likely history of the more intimidating modes of distancing involving impulsive actions of impaired fathers. After summarizing the information presented in each chapter, the reviewer then concludes that the book largely succeeds in its task because it provides a deeper, more integrated clinical understanding of fathers who fail. It is highly recommended for selective reading for therapists and researchers. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)