Review of Disability, work and social policy—Models for social welfare (Springer series on social work, vol. 2).

Reviews the book, Disability, work and social policy—Models for social welfare (Springer series on social work, vol. 2) by Aliki Coudroglou and Dennis L. Poole (1984). This book is dedicated "to the people of PUSH for their determination and courageous example." PUSH, or "People United for Self-Help," was established in 1970 in Phoenix, Arizona. The book addresses rationally and at times with understandable emotion the social and moral problems of caring for disabled persons; it describes the merits of and need for an advocacy organization like PUSH; and it offers a mainstreaming model that conceivably might provide "occupational opportunity for all disabled workers in the least restrictive environment." While most students of social work, rehabilitation, policy science, sociology, and even psychology or medicine would profit from reading this book, it is not clear as to the audience for which it was written or the role it should play in graduate curricula. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer psychology: An introduction.

Reviews the book, Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer psychology: An introduction by Victoria Clarke et al., (see record 2010-08660-000). The goal of this book is to introduce readers to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) psychology, which encompasses many different aspects of the lives of LGBTQ people, including prejudice and discrimination, parenting and families, coming out, and identity development. While no small undertaking, disseminating this knowledge is crucial in order for the field of psychology to be a true “psychology of people” that examines the experiences of all people and is open to diverse ways of living. The authors succeeded in including nearly every major topic in LGBTQ psychology while continually inviting the reader to engage critically. The book is not only well written but designed in a way that makes it an easy read. Along with the usual chapter summaries and questions for discussion, pedagological features include key researcher and key study boxes that enable familiarity with cutting-edge thinking in the field. Being that they represent different interests and areas of expertise, the authors deliver varied perspectives and approaches. One of the greatest strengths of this book is its applicability to a wide audience, from students to practicing psychologists and researchers. As a whole, this book provides realistic ways of creating change, fosters understanding, and challenges the reader to be wary of the ways in which traditional norms can be harmful to LGBTQ people. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Independent living for physically disabled people.

Reviews the book, Independent living for physically disabled people by Nancy M. Crewe, Irving Kenneth Zola, and Associates (1983). As stated by the authors, one of their goals in writing this text is to bring together a substantial portion of the rapidly growing body of independent living (IL) knowledge, some of which is relatively inaccessible. More importantly, the authors state their wish to present this knowledge in a way that will communicate the challenge and promise of the IL movement to their intended audience, whom they identify as professionals and students already in the field and in closely related fields, as well as disabled individuals. Generally speaking, this book succeeds in meeting its authors' stated objectives. A particularly important reason for this success may be the fact that the book presents the reader with a comprehensive view of the IL movement from a variety of vantage points—historical and cultural, urban and rural, domestic and international, disabled and nondisabled—as well as from numerous professional standpoints. Independent Living for Physically Disabled People is a well-organized and clearly written text that satisfactorily articulates the growing visibility of the IL movement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Families of the developmentally disabled: A guide to behavioral intervention.

Reviews the book, Families of the developmentally disabled: A guide to behavioral intervention by Sandra L. Harris (1983). Harris states that Families of the developmentally disabled is intended for clinicians who have a basic knowledge of behavior modification, but who may not have experience in applying behavior modification procedures to families with developmentally disabled children. The primary focus of the book is on providing practicing clinicians with a conceptual framework for incorporating behavioral interventions into family treatment situations and parent training programs. The book is divided into five chapters. Each chapter begins with a case study that highlights the issues to be addressed within the chapter, and generally provides the perspective of the author regarding the topic to be addressed. The remainder of each chapter is then devoted to providing a rationale for the perspective, usually containing a liberal number of references to support the author's viewpoint. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The sociogenesis of language and human conduct.

Reviews the book, The sociogenesis of language and human conduct edited by Bruce Bain. It is no mean task to set forth in a few paragraphs what it is that Bain has attempted to do in preparing this book, and to assess the extent to which he has been successful. A glance at the number of pages will provide an initial clue to the problem; this is an omnibus consisting of thirty-two separate essays and a poetic epilogue. To borrow Professor Bain's own words, it is "a multidisciplinary book of readings addressed to various aspects of the theme that the genesis--the origins and development--of language and human conduct are to be found in the practical or social relations between people...an attempt to accelerate the process of adopting an integrative approach to the study of language by focusing on a general position which has already played a significant role in this process, namely sociogenesis." This is a lengthy book and I suspect that it could have been edited down to a more manageable size. The chapters need not be read in any given order--I found that the editor's attempt to structure them under four headings was not particularly successful. In spite of these reservations, and a plethora of typographical errors as well as the odd dismal chapter, the book is an exciting one. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The Psychology of Sex Differences.

Reviews the book, The Psychology of Sex Differences by Hilary M. Lips and Nina Lee Colwill (1978). This small book covers a lot of territory. In 300 pages Lips and Colwill, along with five collaborators, provide a broad summary of the available theory and research on the psychology of sex differences. After an introductory chapter on the problems of studying the topic, the book has orienting chapters on theories of female and male nature, sexual differentiation, hormones, the social process of learning sex roles, and the concepts of masculinity, femininity, and androgyny. Then the areas of ability, achievement, aggression and power are systematically examined for the presence and the correlates of sex differences. Finally, the issues of marriage, family and sexuality are considered. The book is an excellent starting point for the novice who is willing to give 300 pages of reading effort to the current work on sex differences. It is a good book for a psychologist or psychology student who wants a quick overview of what is being done and thought about in a rapidly expanding area of psychological research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Compte rendu La rêve: Sa nature, sa fonction et une méthode d'analyse.

Reviews the book, La rêve: Sa nature, sa fonction et une méthode d'analyse by George W. Baylor and Daniel Deslauriers (1987). This book consists of 85 pages, notes and bibliography included. The work is divided in four chapters. The motif of the title is evident in the first chapter. The three other chapters expose a method of analysis advanced by the authors. On the whole, a method interesting for research but a exercise at the very least harassing in practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Managing physical handicaps: A practical guide for parents, care providers, and educators.

Reviews the book, Managing physical handicaps: A practical guide for parents, care providers, and educators by Beverly A. Fraser and Robert N. Hensinger. This is a well-written, information-packed potential source of assistance to those working with the more severely involved members of the physically disabled population. The book contains 14 chapters organized into four sections: (1) Looking Beyond the Patient to the Person, (2) About Physical Handicaps, (3) Techniques and Tips for Helping Those with Severe Impairments, and (4) Looking Ahead. The orientation of the book is centered on the management of the physical disabilities of the childhood population under discussion. This book would serve a very practical purpose not only as a desk reference for teachers and others caring for the severely physically disabled child and young adult in the school system, but in the preservice classrooms of those students preparing for careers in this area. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Les théories de la personnalité.

Reviews the book, Les théories de la personnalité by S. Clapier-Valladon (1986). This small book presents, in eight chapters and 125 pages, the theories of personality. As a whole, it seems obvious that this book cannot be used as a reference work for basic teaching in psychology of personality. The subjects are covered in too summary a way, and the material is mostly preliminary. The book makes it possible for the readers who do not have a background to give each other vocational training in psychology, and to be familiarized with partial theories of personality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Organizational effectiveness: toward an integrated model for schools of nursing

This study of the caregiving arrangements of 214 disabled elderly people in a large northeastern city found that the recipients of care were severely disabled, particularly in instrumental activities of daily living, yet had limited sources of informal care and used formal services minimally. The authors discuss the need to use a structural adaptation approach and to develop social services that are culturally sensitive and acceptable to both elders and their caregivers.     

Review of Group exercises for adolescents: A manual for therapists.

Reviews the book, Group exercises for adolescents: A manual for therapists by Susan Carrell (see record 1993-98929-000). Practitioners who dare venture into the bewildering, unpredictable realm of group psychotherapy with adolescents likely will find Carrell's Group Exercises for Adolescents to be a wonderful navigational aid. While the bulk of the book contains 25 group exercises, two useful overview chapters precede the application section. A brief opening chapter offers some developmental highlights of adolescence, while the second chapter provides a Cook's tour of practical suggestions and recommendations for conducting adolescent groups. The latter is a superb introduction to the problems and prospects of group work with this challenging population, and it can almost stand alone as a primer for less experienced practitioners who are approaching the group leadership role with an adolescent group for the first time. More experienced leaders, however, will not be bored. While limited in scope, Carrell's Manual covers well its intended content. The book is well-written and carefully organized, and brings great clarity to each area examined, benefiting greatly from a distinct lack of jargon. A spiral binding facilitates use. While the workbook foregoes a scholarly base, its strength resides in pragmatism. These are methods that have worked well for the author, and which have survived the critical appraisal of a pool of over 300 teen clients who rated the exercises for effectiveness. The book is recommended highly as a valuable resource for therapists of any discipline who facilitate psychotherapy groups for adolescents. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Social Psychology.

Reviews the book, Social Psychology edited by Daniel Perlman and P. Chris Cozby (1983). The book covers almost all the traditional range of topics, with chapters on research methods, socialization, attitude change (two chapters), attribution, social perception, interpersonal attraction, aggression, helping behaviour, behaviour, interpersonal influence and social exchange (two separate chapters), and group dynamics. This book comes close to being an excellent social psychology text, and if it were judiciously revised, it might rate that evaluation. Many of its chapters are extremely good, and its focus on social problems is an admirable attempt to make social psychology more meaningful and relevant. At present, however, its weaknesses would lead this reviewer to stick with one of the existing texts. While the editors have achieved their goals of bringing social issues into focus and of providing a more eclectic treatment of social psychological research, they have failed with respect to giving adequate attention to the need for diversity in age and backgrounds of people studied, to the need to search for limiting conditions under which relationships hold, and to the need to be sensitive to cultural variation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Gender dysphoria: Development, research, management.

Reviews the book, Gender dysphoria: Development, research, management edited by Betty W. Steiner (1985). The term gender dysphoria is attributed to Fisk (1973) and is described in the introductory chapter as a diagnostic label much broader than transsexualism. It refers to those who, "at one time or another, experience sufficient discomfort with their biological sex to form the wish for sex reassignment". However, when one compares the DSM-III definition of transsexualism as "a persistent sense of discomfort and inappropriateness about one's anatomic sex and a persistent wish to be rid of one's genitals and to live as a member of the other sex", one is left bewildered as to how the concept of gender dysphoria is broader than the diagnostic category of transsexualism. One's bewilderment is more likely to wax than wane when, in subsequent chapters (including two by the editor herself), the term gender dysphoria is rejected in favour of such terms as transsexualism, cross-gender identification, gender disorder, and gender-identity disturbance. Even in the final "personal perspective" chapter, the editor asserts that "This book has been an attempt to bring together in a cohesive whole some of the recent work that has been, and continues to be, done in transsexualism and gender identity". The book, however, is not altogether without merit. There are two noteworthy chapters. One is an intriguing, thought-provoking treatise by Hoenig on the aetiology of transsexualism. The other is Zucker's impressive literature review of crossgender-identified children. Those two chapters, interestingly, are alloted one-fourth of the entire book. The remaining thirteen chapters are left to vie for the remaining pages. The disappointments I encountered with this book reminded me of a Bahamian cruise I was recently fortunate enough to enjoy. At one of the midnight buffets I eagerly chose a pastry that looked somewhat like a cream puff. It was not until I bit into it that I discovered it was void of whipping cream. The shell itself was tasty, but I had expected so much more. Perhaps it is appropriate to compare Steiner's volume to a buffet. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Technology and handicapped people.

Reviews the book, Technology and handicapped people by the Office Of Technology Assessment, U.S. Congress (1983). The Office of Technology Assessment study, conducted from October 1980 to December 1981, was designed to address a broad and complex range of issues affecting the development, marketing, and financing of technologies related to disabled people. Beginning with a systematic review of issues related to delivery of technologies to disabled persons, Part One of Technology and handicapped people focuses on the various definitions of "disability" and examines the demographics of disabled persons in the United States. Part Two of the book emphasizes "appropriate application" of technology as it applies to disabled persons. Parts Three and Four of the book cover public policy and resource allocation as they apply to meeting the needs of disabled individuals. The appendixes of the book cover methodologies of the study and present a glossary of terms and references. This report by the OTA is an excellent first book to acquaint the reader with the field of rehabilitation engineering and assistive devices. It provides a comprehensive and nontechnical overview of current technologies that are being used to remediate the impact of disability. The writing style and the generous use of illustrations greatly enhance the readability of this book. The book does not focus on new emerging technologies in this field, and therefore is of less interest to practicing rehabilitation engineers and adaptive equipment specialists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of The psychology of eating & drinking: An introduction, Vol. 2.

Reviews the book, The psychology of eating & drinking: An introduction, Vol. 2 by A. W. Logue (1991). The second edition of The psychology of eating and drinking expands the first by three chapters. These discuss, as the author says, the psychology of eating and drinking as it applies to everyday issues. New topics address female reproduction, cigarette smoking, and cuisine and wine tasting. Following 296 pages of text, the book lists several clinics and self-help agencies dealing with disorders of taste and smell, eating, and alcohol (only one resource offered for alcohol abuse). Also, the book provides chapter-by chapter references as well as name and subject indexes. Furthermore, as the author says, the second edition updates the research-base of the original edition. Logue organizes her book into five parts, each preceded by a précis. The first three parts, which follow an introductory chapter that maps what is to come and that justifies the large number of animal (rat) studies to be presented, describe the basics of eating and drinking. Part One comprises two chapters on starting and stopping eating and drinking. Here, as elsewhere, Logue informs the reader well; by this time, one wants to work through the book. Equally as interesting, Part Two (four chapters) looks at what we select to drink and cat, and why we make such choices. Part Three (one chapter) talks about nutritive and nonnutritive substances. It concerns the interplay of what we eat and what we subsequently do. Part Four (three chapters) gets directly at the clinical issues. It explains and discusses eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia), obesity, and alcoholism. Lastly, Part Five (three chapters) addresses everyday concerns. Logue intends that the book be read by lay persons and psychologists, but I doubt that those devoid of psychology background will fully appreciate all she has to say. She also intends that the reader will come away from the book appreciating the value of the scientific method in phrasing and answering questions about why we do what we do. Here Logue clearly achieves her goal, for the reader cannot help but see what scientific thinking can bring to the understanding of the psychology of eating and drinking. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Handbook of severe disability.

Reviews the book, Handbook of severe disability by W. Stolov and M. Clowers (1981). This book has many strengths that make it a mandatory reference manual for professionals who work with individuals with severe illness and disability. First, the chapters have been written by highly regarded professionals who have clinical and research experience with the disability group about which they write. Thus there is an understanding of the scope of the rehabilitation problem and a commitment to the disability group in question that is apparent in the manner in which the chapters have been written. Second, the scope of the book makes it a useful reference tool for those who work in rehabilitation settings that serve clients with a variety of disabilities. Third, the price of the book is less than $20, which makes it affordable by those who need the information most. Any psychologist who works with a variety of severely disabled persons should be familiar with the information contained in this book. Ordinarily this takes years of on-the-job experience and reading. Thus this book can shorten the learning period considerably. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Opportunities for psychologists in disability research.

Reviews research contributions that have been beneficial to disabled citizens including work on the helping relationship, contingencies of reinforcement, vocational rehabilitation, assessment scales, and family adjustment. Support by the federal government for future research will be guided by goal statements that address the refinement of assessment instruments, the psychological effects of childhood disability, the effects of aging on the physically disabled, the psychosocial impact of disabilities in minority groups, and improved service delivery strategies. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Review of Spinal cord injuries: psychological, social, and vocational rehabilitation.

Reviews the book, Spinal cord injuries: Psychological, social, and vocational rehabilitation, 2nd Edition by Roberta B. Trieschmann (1988). Despite the extensive rewriting and reorganization, however, the clarity and readability of the first edition has not been sacrificed. Owners of the first edition may want to obtain this one as well. In addition to presenting the information on psycho/social/vocational dimensions of spinal cord injury (SCI) in a developmental manner, from acute onset through rehabilitation and long-term adjustment issues, the author also discusses in depth such issues as traumatic brain injury, locus of control, substance abuse, independent living, and so on. Some of the topics covered in this edition that are not dealt with in the first edition are athletics, biofeedback, community integration, gender issues, quality of life, parenting, and respirator dependency. Some topics such as aging, attitudes, family issues, and sexuality are dealt with more completely. In addition to the empirical, critical analysis of the research on SCI that the first edition was known for, the second edition also suggests ways in which the research needs to be improved and supplemented. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)