Review of History of Academic Psychology in Canada.

Reviews the book, History of Academic Psychology in Canada edited by Mary J. Wright and C. Roger Myers (1982). The title of this book is to be taken seriously. It is a history of academic psychology in Canada in which history of the academy moves prominently to the fore, often leaving the reader with only tantalizing glimpses of the psychology that gave meaning to the effort. Substantively, it is a history of university departments of psychology in Canada. Each departmental history is written by a person or persons having a long association with the department and a sufficient interest in its history to write it. At its best, this book provides well-written and penetratingly thoughtful accounts of the struggle to build psychology as an academic discipline in Canada. Often obscured in the effort, however, is the psychology itself. What was the psychology advocated by these personalities? What did they contribute to it? The reader will have to turn elsewhere for the answers. Regardless of limitations or faults, however, this book deserves full credit as the first attempt to rescue Canadian psychologists from their "social amnesia." It is an important step toward establishing a national consciousness and identity, which by itself would be sufficient reason for a positive reception. Fortunately, it has many other features that recommend it as well. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Suicide in Canada.

Reviews the book, Suicide in Canada, edited by Antoon A. Leenaars, Susanne Wenckstern, Isaac Sakinofsky, Ronald J. Dyck, Michael J. Kral, and Roger C. Bland (1998). This book is a major volume dedicated to an acute public health phenomenon in Canada. The book is divided into nine sections. Although there is overlap among the sections, they retain distinctions that warrant their separation. The sections (history; epidemiology and the Canadian scene; theory and research; first nations and Inuit; family, community, and government approaches; youth suicide, schools, and communities; distress centers; survivors; the right to die) are laid out in a logical order. The volume is appealing for its use of chapters that vary from being very formal and research focused, to those that are highly experiential and voiced in the first person. Taken as a whole, this book on suicide in Canada has much to commend it. Although one might argue that any given book might better focus on either a more scholarly, research orientation, or a more experiential, qualitative viewpoint, this reviewer did not find the mixture of approaches in this work disquieting. Given the timeliness and enduring importance of the topic, it can be said that Suicide in Canada will be the book on the topic for the foreseeable future. Indeed, given the scope and depth of the book, it is a landmark edition for future Canadian suicidologists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Mental health law in Canada.

Reviews the book, Mental health law in Canada by Harvey Savage and Carla McKague (1987). Mental health professionals who come into contact with the law in the course of their work generally have an interest in the well-being of the client. However, they often feel dismayed and confused because of their lack of understanding of mental law and the legal system in general. Until recently, mental health professionals in Canada could not turn to a single volume which would help explain mental health law, including their clients' rights. However, Harvey Savage and Carla McKague's book, Mental health law in Canada, will help alleviate some of the concern and confusion Canadian mental health professionals have come to know. Although some authors have written about Canadian mental health law in specific contexts (e.g., criminal responsibility or fitness to stand trial), Savage and McKague's contribution is the only available comprehensive source directed to the law affecting psychiatric patients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Statistics of Alcohol Use and Alcoholism in Canada.

Reviews the book, Statistics of Alcohol Use and Alcoholism in Canada. 1871-1956: First Report by R. E. Popham & W. Schmidt (1970). This volume is the first in what is proposed as an annual census of alcoholism undertaken by the Alcoholism Research Foundation of Ontario. The report includes cataloguing of alcohol statistics by (a) size and characteristics of the drinking population, (b) apparent consumption of alcoholic beverages, (c) convictions for offences involving alcohol, (d) statistics relating to the prevalence of alcoholism and (e) census population estimates. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of A History of Genetic Psychology: The First Science of Human Development.

Reviews the book, A History of Genetic Psychology: The First Science of Human Development, edited by Robert E. Grinder (see record 1967-35029-000). This is essentially a book of readings which attempts to trace the history of the G. Stanley Hall brand of genetic psychology which, in a sense, formed the background for certain aspects of modern educational psychology. The authors of the readings include Aristotle, Edward L. Thorndike, Thomas H. Huxley, Henry Drummond, and Ellsworth Lancaster, as well as G. Stanley Hall. The editor has provided a "Prospectus" in which he outlines the history of the theories of pangenesis, acquired characteristics, and vitalism, relating them to genetic psychology. In addition, each of the five sections of the book is introduced by a few pages of explanatory material in an attempt to give the readings some continuity. The reviewer feels that a detailed scholarly treatment of the many complicated influences of evolutionary theory upon psychology would be of great value, and sees this volume as possibly contributing some of the necessary motivation to the achievement of such a goal. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Psychology: Theoretical-historical perspectives, second edition.

Reviews the book, Psychology: Theoretical-historical perspectives, second edition by Robert W. Rieber and Kurt D. Salzinger (see record 1998-06434-000). Like its predecessor, this second edition is a useful volume with a broad scope and any psychologist perusing even a portion of its 500 plus pages will likely come away convinced that there is more to history than a tedious collection of names and dates. As a pedagogical supplement and general introduction to the history of psychology field, this book succeeds admirably. However, in publishing a second edition, Rieber and Salzinger set themselves a more ambitious agenda. One of the goals of the book was to acknowledge the growth and vibrancy of recent scholarship in the history of psychology and to "present some synthesis within the confines of one book." Using these commendable goals as a metric, the book is somewhat disappointing. The book is too much like the first edition in both its choice of questions and authors. This sort of repetition is not a problem in and of itself; however the history of psychology has changed dramatically since the publication of the first edition 18 years ago. There is relatively little in the second edition to indicate that there have been any significant historiographic developments within the history of psychology field since the 1970s. By ignoring these changes, the book left me unable to answer a fundamental question that all second editions must face: Why is a new edition needed? (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 Schools of Psychology: A Symposium.

Reviews the book, Schools of Psychology: A Symposium edited by David L. Krantz (1969). This volume contains five papers which were delivered at a symposium held on September 4, 1967 at the seventy-fifth anniversary meetings of the American Psychological Association. The participants and their topics were E. G. Boring (Titchener, Meaning and Behaviorism), Edna Heidbreder (Functionalism), R. J. Herrnstein (Behaviorism), Wolfgang Kohler (Gestalt psychology), and David Shakow (Psychoanalysis). In addition there is a discussion by Gardner Murphy and an additional paper, by the editor, on the Baldwin-Titchener controversy. An index is provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Readings in General Psychology: Canadian Contributions.

Reviews the book, Readings in General Psychology: Canadian Contributions by A. W. Pressey and J. P. Zubek (1970). A collection of seventy articles, sixty-eight of which are written by Canadian psychologists and other psychologists resident at some point in Canada, comprise the content of this set of readings. Two other contributions are by distinguished Canadian physicians. The organization of the book is in fourteen parts following the traditional divisions of an introductory text in psychology. The articles are from a variety of places but predominantly from the Canadian Journal of Psychology. Others are from such prestigious sources as Science and Nature. First-course instructors will find the "readings" well worth examining. (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)     

Review of Readings in General Psychology: Canadian Contributions.

This reprinted article originally appeared in Canadian Psychologist, 1971, Vol 12(1), 87-89. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2007-02140-023.) Reviews the book, Readings in General Psychology: Canadian Contributions by A. W. Pressey and J. P. Zubek (1970). A collection of seventy articles, sixty-eight of which are written by Canadian psychologists and other psychologists resident at some point in Canada, comprise the content of this set of readings. Two other contributions are by distinguished Canadian physicians. The organization of the book is in fourteen parts following the traditional divisions of an introductory text in psychology. The articles are from a variety of places but predominantly from the Canadian Journal of Psychology. Others are from such prestigious sources as Science and Nature. First-course instructors will find the "readings" well worth examining. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Essentials of abnormal psychology, first Canadian edition.

Reviews the book, Essentials of abnormal psychology, first Canadian edition by V. Mark Durand, David H. Barlow, and Sherry H. Stewart (2007). This first edition covers the terrain one might expect of an abnormal psychology textbook. This includes chapters on historical context, approaches to psychopathology, clinical assessment, diagnosis and research methods, anxiety disorders, somatoform and dissociative disorders, mood disorders and suicide, physical disorders and health psychology, eating and sleep disorders, sexual and gender identity disorders, substance-related disorders, personality disorders, schizophrenia and other related disorders, developmental and cognitive disorders, and finally, legal and ethical issues as related to mental health. Although the book initially may look rather dense (it is not), there are numerous organisational aids to facilitate learning. The authors have more than amply succeeded in their stated intention to present a multidimensional perspective, integrating behavioural, emotional and cognitive, and social contexts to explore the essentials of abnormal psychology. Using easy to understand language appropriate for undergraduates, this book guides the reader through the fascinating field of abnormal psychology, pointing out the expected, and for an added bonus, the unexpected and often neglected. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of A history of modern psychology: Third edition.

Reviews the book, A history of modern psychology: Third edition by C. James Goodwin (see record 2008-14615-000). This text is an excellent introduction to the history of Western psychology, in terms of both tracing the discipline’s lineage through milestone events and in demonstrating how historians approach the subject. As the primary goal of the book is to attract the interest of students who perhaps are only taking a course in the history of psychology because it is required of them, the major strength of this text is its readability. The author’s ability to render complicated material comprehensible for introductory level students and laymen, as well as the affable tone used throughout the work makes it suitable for any reader interested in the foundations of the discipline. Its success is in the framework it provides, which graduate or even undergraduate level instructors can flesh out with supplementary readings and in-class discussion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Women and the chip: Case studies of the effect of informatics on employment in Canada.

Reviews the book, Women and The Chip: Case Studies of the Effect of Informatics on Employment in Canada by Heather Menzies (1981). Women and the Chip looks at the effects that the new technology of informatics (the marriage of computers and telecommunications) is having and will continue to have on the structure of the labour force-particularly women. The changing employment patterns and practices related to this new technology will change many jobs and eliminate many others as office work becomes as automated as car assembly was in years past. To help the reader develop an appreciation of the scope of this change four major case studies are presented: a large corporate head office, a major insurance company, chartered banks, and supermarkets (all industries with a heavy concentration of women employees). The book is well written, well organized, thorough and informative "Blueprint for the future". The book should be read by everyone out of general interest, but especially for psychologists involved with vocational planning and decision making. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On History of Psychology’s launch.

This editorial describes the launching of a new scholarly journal at the end of 20th century, and discusses why print publication remains for many reasons the preferred (and most accessible) medium for circulation. Also discussed are the journal's intellectual and institutional goals. If History of Psychology is to prosper it must address the scholarly and pedagogical needs and interests of its audience. One of its most significant components comprises those who teach the thousands of courses in history and systems of psychology required by just about all U.S. graduate and undergraduate programs in psychology. Others are interested in the opportunity of applying psychological methods and insights to the study of the past itself (an endeavor long recognized as "psychohistory") or studying the history of consciousness and behavior (what some now call "historical psychology"). Remarkably, no currently published scholarly journal provides in one place a forum where serious historians of psychology, psychohistorians, and historical psychologists can all publish their work and read that of those who share their interests. History of Psychology seeks to fill this gap. (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 Two Hugs for Survival.

Reviews the book, Two Hugs for Survival by Harold A. Minden (1982). Parenthood is not natural, and children have the right to trained parents. Two Hugs for Survival is an informative, sensitive, and supportive parent training book based on these two premises. Drawing on 15 years of contact with parents in educational and clinic situations, Harold Minden outlines a number of principles and strategies characterizing successful parents. This book is a thoroughly readable anthology of strategies for parents interested in increasing their coping vocabulary. While research and theoretical underpinnings are not as explicit as they might be, case studies and detailed instructions for applying particular suggestions are introduced effectively. This book is recommended for those who want answers to specific child-rearing questions. The only danger is that it may appeal most to those interested in a quick-fix approach to their frustrations as parents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Exploration in the Psychology of Stress and Anxiety.

Reviews the book, Exploration in the Psychology of Stress and Anxiety by Byron P. Rourke (ed.). This book is the result of a symposium held to mark the opening of new facilities for the Department of Psychology at the University of Windsor in 1968. The title of this little volume may be viewed by some as being pretentious. The knowledgeable reader in the area of stress and anxiety who expects a systematic attack on current problems may be somewhat disappointed. Not only are the chapters uneven, but they represent a global "hodge-podge" of theoretical, empirical and philosophical essays loosely bound together under a general rubric. Yet, in spite of the inconsistent style and presentation, there is probably something of interest to every general reader. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)