Reviews (6)

Less than compelling
Any belief system seems opaque to outsiders. Psychoanalysis was a very important step towards understanding and treating psychological problems but we have mostly left it behind, like Aristotelian physics. Without a basic sympathy for psychoanalysis this book becomes a series of unrelated assertions with the odd piercing insight; (the skewering of health bores is very amusing). Relatively low in ideas per page I'd say it is of mainly historical interest now. The awkward expression mentioned in an earlier review is certainly a problem. This shouldn't be in the first five books you read about this subject.

Deep Insight
This book presents a distinctly different look at the questions posed about the nature of psychopathy, and society's response to it. One achieves both greater understanding, and insight into the importance of individual responsibility and free will, even in the alternate universe of the sociopath.

A worthwhile read, but awkard writing detracts from it
I am more than a bit surprised at the glowing reviews for this book. The writing is so awkward that I started to wonder if it was a translation. And he makes a statement (on page 68), with a degree of certainty that is neither warranted nor substantiated by research. Citing the work of Bleuler, he writes "They do not become psychopaths because their mothers reject but the other way around." No substantiation offered here, just a bland, presumptuous assertion.
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Subjects:  1. History    2. Mental Illness    3. Psychology    4. Psychopathology - General    5. Abnormal psychology    6. Psychoanalysis & psychoanalytical theory    7. The self, ego, identity, personality   

Reviews (2)

Carrying the torch for a certain Foucault
For those who are interested in Foucault's concept of "governmentality," and for those who are uncomfortable with liberal humanism's triumphal celebration of "freedom," please check out this book.If there is one question Rose wants to answer in this book, it seems to me to be the following: how can social control take place in our contemporary world, where we are thought of as autonomous subjects?Rose suggests that "freedom" has not, in fact, triumphed over "coercion" and "discipline" in our contemporary age - rather, he argues that discourses on freedom and individual autonomy set up the conditions in which bodies can be territorialized and controlled in new ways.He argues toward this conclusion not through an analysis of state disciplinary practices or "pastoral power" (as Foucault did), but rather through an analysis of the "psy" disciplines, which include psychology, psychiatry, psychoanalysis, etc.
Simply superb
Nikolas Rose writes a powerful and thought provoking work that radically alters how the work of the "mental health" professional can be understood, detailing its critical relevance for each of us. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Applied Psychology    2. History    3. Personality    4. Psychology    5. History of science    6. Science / History    7. Self    8. The self, ego, identity, personality   

Reviews (2)

a good introduction to freud's ideas
well organized/categorized and very readable. but i found all the small typos annoying.

Analysing Freud...
Pamela Thurschwell's text on Sigmund Freud is part of a recent series put out by the Routledge Press, designed under the general editorial direction of Robert Eaglestone (Royal Holloway, University of London), to explore the most recent and exciting ideas in intellectual development during the past century or so. To this end, figures such as Martin Heidegger, Jacques Derrida, Friedrich Nietzsche, Paul Ricoeur, and other influential thinkers in critical thought are highlighted in the series, planned to include at least 21 volumes in all.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1856-1939    2. Freud, Sigmund,    3. History    4. Medical - General    5. Movements - Psychoanalysis    6. Psychoanalysis    7. Psychoanalysis and culture    8. Psychology    9. Literary Criticism & Collections / Theory    10. Literary theory    11. Psychoanalysis & psychoanalytical theory   

Reviews (5)

50 years ahead of its time
Written for the layperson, with appendices for the scientist, this is without a doubt the most profound book I have ever read. And despite being written nearly 40 years ago, it is still at the cutting edge.

An intriguing study backed with scientific percision
It's hard to easily categorize this title: a blend of psychology, physics, and spirituality written by a research psychologists, this develops his ideas on parallels between views of modern field theory and world-views of mystics. His focus on 'facts that do not fit' offers new insights on human abilities and potentials, describing the experiments which lead to his change of view, and his theory of the paranormal. An intriguing study backed with scientific percision.

Accessibly written for the non-specialist general reader
The Medium, The Mystic, And The Physicist: Toward A General Theory Of the Paranormal by psychologist, educator, and author Lawrence LeShan is a New Age book that persuasively presents evidence of psychic abilities, and seeks to draw together the views and science of mediums, mystics, and physicists alike. A extended contemplation of holistic theory, The Medium, The Mystic, And The Physicist transcends the tendency that people of different religious, spiritual, and scientific viewpoints and experiences have all to often been shortsightedly led to scorn one another. Accessibly written for the non-specialist general reader, The Medium, The Mystic, And The Physicist is a unique and very welcome contribution to Psychology and Metaphysical Studies reading lists. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. History    3. New Age / Body, Mind & Spirit    4. Parapsychology    5. Parapsychology - ESP (Clairvoyance, Precognition, Telepathy)    6. Psychology    7. Occultism & quasi-religious beliefs    8. Parapsychology, psychic powers, ESP    9. Popular psychology    10. States of consciousness   

Subjects:  1. Classics    2. Fiction    3. History    4. History - General History    5. Irrationalism (Philosophy)    6. Literature: Classics    7. Psychohistory    8. World - General    9. History / General    10. History, World | Canadian    11. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    12. Psychology    13. Social history    14. World history   

Reviews (13)

Regrettably incomplete
This book is obviously long and detailed, but Ms. Bair loses the forest for the trees.She gives far too much detail about personal matters, family tree stuff, and the like.What I wanted was a lot more about Jung's mind and how it evolved.I wanted to read a lot more about how he arrived at his intellectual break with Freud, his development of specific concepts, like "collective unconscious," "archetypes," and such.Perhaps this book should have consisted of two volumes, in which Jung's psychology is more adequately described.
THE Jung biography...
This is the most complete Jung biography on the market... I had read other Bair biographies and am always impressed with her rigor in providing sources and an objective account.

A page-turner, but...
C.G. Jung spoke about his number one and number two personalites, one corresponding to his physical/outer life experiences and the other to his psychological/inner life experiences. Like some of the editorial reviews above, I found Bair's biography to be sorely lacking in coverage and understanding of this second and most important aspect of Jung's life and work.The following quote he used in Memories, Dreams, Reflections to describe someone else could just as easily be applied in this case:
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Subjects:  1. (Carl Gustav),    2. 1875-1961    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. History    8. Jung, C. G.    9. Jungian Psychology    10. Psychoanalysis    11. Psychoanalysts    12. Social Scientists & Psychologists    13. Switzerland    14. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Editorial Review

Hot on the heels of an optimistic film about Nobelist John Nash's schizophrenic journey comes medical journalist Robert Whitaker's disturbing exposé of the cruel and corrupt business of treating mental illness in America. Read more

Reviews (56)

If the author only knew what it means to have a sick family member
As a psychiatrist and person with mentally ill family members, I can only bemoan all of the misinformation contained in this book. The truth is that many of the mentally ill in America do not get the treatment they need precisely because they believe the things said in this book, on tv, etc. As someone who has lived outside of the US and in the developing world, I can tell you that their mental health treatment pales compared to what is available in the United States and is much more primitive and coercive. Although it is true that many psychiatric medications have serious side effects, the consequences of living with symptoms of a serious mental illness can only convince you of how devastating that can be to both the ill person and his or her family. Furthermore, as someone who is also experienced in administering ECT, I can personally attest to the wonderful success rate of this treatment for persons with severe depression who have failed all alternatives and who would rather be dead than live out their lives. (And many, unfortunately, do decide on death as a last resort).
The shocking secret history of psychology finally reviewed
A wonderful book. Like the history of religious atrocity, most people are not aware of the history of psychology. I encourage people to read this book and other honest tellings of the history of psychology. The fact is that people have been, and in fact are still being tortured in the secretive psychiatric institutions. Basic laws of right to trial and sentence are being routinely violated. The casual use of four-point restraints is a cruel and unusual punishment that gives, most of the time a nonviolent victim, less room to move than an animal cage and is forbidden for even the most violent offenders in the prisons of earth. Some people are locked in these hospitals for months without any hope of a trial, not charged with any kind of illegal crime, and people in the hospital refuse to give out information to people trying to locate loved-ones and family members claiming to be protecting their privacy.
Bad Science Is Worse Than No Science
"Mad In America" is a movingaccount of the treatment received by the seriously mentally ill inAmerica.A tragic tale of an archaic, self-serving, and highly ineffective medical model of mental illness.A model that continues to persist today as the basis for the collusion among big pharmaceuticals, organized psychiatry, and managed care to increase the bottom line at the expense of the life and integrity of the seriously mentally ill.Most readers of this book will find it amazing that over 150 years ago, the institutionalized mentally ill actually had a better treatment outcome than we have today.It is also shocking to learn that the mentally ill in poor, developing countries actually have a better chance of recovering from their mental illness than their counterparts in affluent, developed nations.
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Subjects:  1. Care    2. General    3. History    4. Mental Illness    5. Mentally ill    6. Psychology    7. Schizophrenia    8. Treatment    9. United States    10. History of medicine    11. Mental health services    12. Psychiatry    13. Social history    14. USA    15. Science   

Reviews (5)

Remarkably Moving Book
This book is well researched and well written. As engrossing as it is disturbing, this is a must read for anyone interested in the history of lost or abandoned children. A study of personality developement as well as a case by case study of some of the most interesting and well documented cases of lost children. A must read for those interested in discovering what effect isolation or early contact with others really has.
A haunting and beautiful book
This is a fantastic book, bringing together six very different case studies of wild children.It is a book about innocence and its vulnerability.Exquisitely written, Newton brings together each tale with a great deal of feeling and consideration and is a book that will stay with you long after you have read it.

you'll find it used soon enough...
Despite the hip, appealing jacket and auspicious credentials of the author, this book disappoints.It feels like an academic toss-off, designed for the layperson with a fleeting interest, who will leaf through it like a magazine.To swim through the author's disjointed and often autobiographical slough to arrive at the occasional chunks of interesting stuff is simply not worthwhile.On page 9, the author describes his attitude toward his doctoral thesis (...I stayed up, slept late, frequented cafes in the long afternoons, wrote and unpublished novel and an unperformable play, watched far too many old movies, and diligently avoided my supervisor...)Replace 'supervisor' with 'lit agent', and we may have discovered Newton's approach to book writing as well. Read more

Subjects:  1. Children's Studies    2. Feral children    3. General    4. History    5. History: World    6. Psychology   

Reviews (7)

To understand Freud, either read the German or this book
The main theme of this book is that the ideas of Sigmund Freud have been widely misunderstood. To justify these assertions, Bettelheim lists many errors in the translation of Freud's works from German to English. German pronouns are not nearly as simple to use as the English "equivalents" and Freud's intention when using them is quite different from what his translators concluded. Since the individual's thoughts concerning themselves are so critical to Freudian thought, the difference is nontrivial.
A Humane View of Freud
If you are weary of all the fashionable Freud bashing that is going on-esp. by moribund creeps like Frederick Crews, I suggest taking a look at Bettelheim's book.He manages to restore the original humanism of Freud's psychology that was lost or, more likely, deliberately eradicated in the translations into the English language (in the James Strachey editions).This is a sadly overlooked, neglected book by an author whose life ended so tragically. Freud and Man's Soul should be read by those looking for a broader, more humane view of the Father of Psychoanalysis.
Forget the insipid views of Freud taught in school
Bettelheim, despite some of his other problems(with autism for example), writes exquisitely on Freud. He refines the translations of Freud's work so eloquently that I actually understand it!Read more

Subjects:  1. 1856-1939    2. Freud, Sigmund,    3. History    4. Movements - Psychoanalysis    5. Psychoanalysis    6. Psychological aspects    7. Psychology    8. Soul    9. Translating    10. Freud, Sigmund    11. Psychology & Psychiatry / General   

Subjects:  1. (Carl Gustav),    2. 1861-1925    3. 1875-1961    4. Anthroposophy    5. General    6. History    7. Jung, C. G    8. Jung, C. G.    9. Movements - Jungian    10. Psychoanalysis    11. Psychology    12. Religion    13. Steiner, Rudolf,    14. Psychoanalysis & psychoanalytical theory    15. Religion: general    16. Steiner, Rudolf   

Reviews (2)

Ugh & Wow
This is an extremely dense work that is not easy even for the initiated, but even the initiated will learn very much indeed.

The first to synthesize the international history
Eli Zaretsky's SECRETS OF THE SOUL is the first to synthesize the international history of psychoanalysis, from its origins to modern times, showing how Freud's teachings set the stage for the sexual revolution of the 1960s and the modernization of society. Zaretsky's articles on the history of family, psychoanalysis and modern culture have served as precedents to this his opus of psychoanalytical history.
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Subjects:  1. General    2. History    3. Movements - Psychoanalysis    4. Psychoanalysis    5. Psychology    6. Social aspects    7. Psychology & Psychiatry / General   

Reviews (12)

All counselors read this book!!!
What's wrong with psychology? Dawes here gives us the definitive diagnosis. This is science writing at its best, and, in a field rife with pseudoscience and fraught with fallacious but popular claims, a much needed antidote. I am a psychologist, and as one, attest that this book gives an accurate assessment of the field. Rorschach tests are voodoo, in fact, most personality tests are. Hypnosis, one could add, is also a bunch of woo-woo nonsense. It's a parlor game, just like psychotherapy was. It's time that the lay population's views of psychology were updated, and Dawes, being the genius that he is, is just the man to do it.

Defining "Psychology" (and Diagnoses) Down
Robin Dawes is a genius and one of the most original thinkers in any field. His work was a primary source for my own Ph.D. dissertation. Unfortunately, clinical psychology has morphed into a hodgepodge of political leftism and Oprah-style "feelings" that has barely any resemblance to science. Compounding all of this is the competition for money as (far too many) psych grads look for a way to earn a living.Completely normal human responses to everyday living are defined as pathological and needing "professional intervention." Meanwhile, criminal and evil behavior is also considered for "therapy" when, in fact, jail is the only reasonable "treatment" needed. Finally, political correctness pervades the whole, especially the care of children. So instead of getting the pot-smoking 30-year-old mother of 5 children by 5 different men to see that her behavior is hurting her kids, the kids are given labels (ADHD, ODD, Bipolar, etc.) and drugs, including antipsychotics, as early as age 2 years. Meanwhile, the therapy train steams right along...

Poor Critique
Dawes starts with the conclusion he wants to prove, and then selects only studies which agree with it.We call this begging the question, or affirming the consequent.He ignores myriad studies, including those conducted by NIMH, which prove that Cognitive Therapy IS effective.Dr. Aaron Beck and Dr. Albert Ellis have pioneered new forms of therapy.To dismiss them out-of-hand is short-sighted. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Clinical psychologists    2. Clinical psychology    3. Health/Fitness    4. History    5. Philosophy    6. Psychology    7. Psychotherapists    8. Psychotherapy    9. Psychotherapy - General    10. Psychology & Psychiatry / General   

Subjects:  1. General    2. History    3. Psychology    4. Psychology & Psychiatry / General   

Reviews (1)

Claudia Strauss has done it again.
In each of Claudia Strauss' books -- and I'm a fan so have read all three -- there's a set of nuggets that are invaluable. My valued nuggets may differ from yours but the bottom line is the same. Strauss separates the condition from the person, leaving lay readers like me with deepened insight. She gives handy examples of everyday things to do and say, and everyday things not to do and say. Talking to Anxiety, Talking to Depression, and Talking to Alzheimers have all made me a better listener. In everyday life, why not ride on the tails of her empathy... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anxiety    2. Family relationships    3. General    4. History    5. Motivational & Inspirational    6. Neuropsychology    7. Patients    8. Popular works    9. Psychology    10. Self-Help    11. Psychology & Psychiatry / History   

Reviews (1)

Brilliant and overlooked work of Freud
This is a remarkable contribution from Freud that is almost entirely ignored by psychology on account of its lack of applicability. But that is a tragedy, because this is a work of first-rate thinking. Freud explores the `Uncanny,' the no longer being at home, and traces its dimensions through literature, dreams, and childhood memories. He also contributes a brilliant speculation into Leonardo Da Vinci, later coined as an exercise in `psychobiography', in which he magnificently uses a single memory to investigate the conflicts and dilemmas of Leonardo's childhood and subsequent artistry and genius. This is a crucial text in Freud's vast body of work, I urge you to read it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Freud, Sigmund    2. History    3. Movements - Psychoanalysis    4. Psychoanalysis    5. Psychology    6. Psychology & Psychiatry / Psychoanalysis   

Reviews (5)

Inetresting... Acadamia
This book is pretty interesting for a very dry academic study... if that makes any kind of sense at all.If you are interested in background information of the great, the Nature vs. Nurture questions involved,enviornment personality type burth order etc., then you might enjoy this Tome. Not enjoyable light reading by any means, but it does site some very interesting and diverse views and theories.However if the subject is of interest to you, you might read this in tandem with Orson Scott Card's "Pastwatch", or "Enders Shadow", as well as C.J. Cherryh's Cyteen. These are the stories that brought me to the interest of the study that Dr. Simonton investigates here. But you'd have to be a lot smarter than me to read it for fun. The TV series Malcolm in the Middle gives a much more entertaining look at the subject, and if you are an academic that doesn't understand the correlation, then, that is a show you should watch from the Pilot episode to the Finale.

Worth its weight in Gold
This book is highly-recommended reading for parents. This helps parents realize what it takes to be a genius. The wide array of topics, fields covered is nothing short of amazing.
An in-depth look at what makes some people Great
Simonton's book is bound to overwhelm you. There is so much information packed into this tome that I found myself jumping from chapter to chapter. But a lot of this is fascinating. If you want to know about the correlation between intelligence and productivity or birth order and greatness, you can find it here. There is a treasury of great anecdotes about great people (my favorite is Brahms's comment about treading in the footsteps of a giant--Beethoven), and the book is a fast read (page-by-page that is--it's quite a lengthy book).Read more

Subjects:  1. Genius    2. History    3. Philosophy    4. Psychological aspects    5. Psychology    6. Research & Methodology    7. Historiography    8. Psychology & Psychiatry / History   

Reviews (1)

Psychology rediscovered
Psychology:Theoretical-historical perspectives (2nd ed.) has a readable style elucidating the history of ideas in psychology.By providing a diverse range of chapter authors rather than offering readings dominated bythe traditional perspective, the editors expose their readers toperspectives different than are traditionally found in textbooks. Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. History    3. History Of Psychology    4. Mental Health    5. Psychology    6. Reference    7. United States    8. Philosophy & theory of psychology    9. Psychotherapy   

Subjects:  1. Acculturation    2. Ethnicity    3. Ethnopsychology    4. History    5. Mental Health    6. Psychology    7. Psychotherapy - Couples & Family    8. Research    9. Research & Methodology    10. Social Psychology    11. Ethnic studies   

Reviews (1)

The Origins of Gestalt Theory
Gestalt psychology was founded by three German psychologists (Max Wertheimer, Kurt Koffka, and Wolfgang Kohler) in 1910 in Frankfort. Reestablished after World War I at the University of Berlin, it flourishedfrom the 1930s into the 1960s, then faded as its leaders aged and its majorfindings were absorbed by mainstream psychology. Today, the only survivingBerlin-trained gestaltist is the 95-year-old art theorist Rudolf Arnheim(author of Art and Visual Perception: A Psychology of the Creative Eye),who is still actively writing. Gestalt theory was and is important todifferent people for different reasons. In German, the word for"design" is gestalt, and one reason for its appeal to artists,architects, and graphic designers is that it provides scientific validationof age-old esthetic principles. For those who have gained from gestalttheory, whether artists, scientists, or psychologists, this is aninvaluable, interesting book. As the first comprehensive history of themovement, it covers a wide range of material, beginning at the turn of thecentury with Carl Stumpf, Christian von Ehrenfels, and others who set thestage; moving on to the Berlin Psychological Institute, and the numerousteachers and students who left before and during World War II; andconcluding in the 1960s, when Germany was still divided, with the fate ofthe few who preferred to remain. (Copyright by Roy R. Behrens from BallastQuarterly Review, Vol. 14, No. 4, Summer 1999.) ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Gestalt Psychology    3. History    4. Psychology    5. 20th century    6. Germany    7. Gestalt psychology--History    8. History of ideas, intellectual history    9. Mathematics and Science    10. Philosophy & theory of psychology    11. Science / History    12. c 1800 to c 1900   

Subjects:  1. Cultural relativism    2. General    3. History    4. Medical    5. Psychology    6. Social Psychology    7. Sociology - General    8. Subjectivity    9. Psychology & Psychiatry / History    10. Psychology-Social Psychology    11. Social Science-Sociology - General