Reviews (6)

Beneath the Mask
This book is excellent. It is very well written and provides interesting and exciting information. I have really enjoyed learning how the theories that we work from today come from the theorists own life expereinces. It is fascinating. I highly reccommend this book for those who really want to understand what is behind a theory and know the person behind the theory.

"All the world is a stage..."
I have likened most psychology and counseling texts as being about as exciting to read as a Chilton's car repair manual. Absorbing and insightful
This updated book contains some of the most absorbing and insightful summaries of personality theories I have read. The section on Erikson epitomizes his work in a way I have not seen elsewhere. The chapter on Maslow is a balanced view of the strengths and limitations of his theory. The chapter on evolutionary psychology is a clear summary and introduction to this field. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Mental Health    2. Personality    3. Philosophy    4. Psychology    5. Psychology & Psychiatry / Personality    6. The self, ego, identity, personality   

Reviews (2)

Only partly about development...
Shaffer, a professor at University of Georgia, has put his heart into this book on social and personality development.Besides the production problems noted by other reviewers (no colors, repetition, and expense), this book has conceptual and organizational problems. tedious
While the text provides a lot of detailed information about research studies and theories, it is a bit tedious in rehashing the same information chapter after chapter.Basically, it tends to make the same points repeatedly throughout, and I found it somewhat boring to read.Also, the pages lack any hint of color, which only adds to the monotonous feeling. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Personality    2. Personality development    3. Psychology    4. Psychotherapy - Child & Adolescent    5. Social Psychology    6. Socialization    7. Sociology - General    8. Child & developmental psychology    9. Social Science / Sociology / General    10. Social, group or collective psychology    11. The self, ego, identity, personality   

Reviews (1)

I won't write a report without it
This book is absolutely essential in answering questions about administration and scoring. It also does a fantastic job of explaining the theory behind the C-H-C theory and how it is used in the WJ-III.Finally, it gives great pointers in interpretation. It does a thorough job of explaining GAF, clusters, and subtests. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Aptitude Testing    2. Assessment, Testing & Measurement    3. Educational Psychology    4. Personality    5. Personality Assessment And Testing    6. Psychology    7. Testing & Measurement    8. Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cogn    9. Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Cognitive Ability    10. Intelligence    11. Psychological testing & measurement    12. Psychology & Psychiatry / Cognitive Psychology   

Reviews (5)

Nothing new or not obvious here
It's not that the information insn't correct, but it certainly isn't insightful.This seems like a mental exercise for a professor who just wants to get his name in print.Right away you're in trouble becuase he has you go through an exercise and then rate your optimism to see if this book could help you.if you are low on optimism, you need this book, if you are balanced, you need this book and if you are very optimistic, you still need this book.
CD on Learned Optimism is good supplement to book
If you are interested in how optimism can be learned, Seligman's book/CD is a great resource.

Learned Optimism
I received this book about a year ago and I think it is the best self help book on the market.It has been fantastic and has helped me so much by giving me scientifically proven techniques to change the way I look at events or situations.
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Subjects:  1. Psychology    2. General    3. Personality    4. Self-Help / General    5. Recovery    6. Optimism   

Reviews (2)

Out-dated Theories
I had to purchase this text for my "Psychology of Personality" class.While my online shopping experience was great, I don't even know where to start with the short-comings of the text book.Who in their right mind would choose this as a learning tool?!Not only is it VERY poorly written (it doesn't flow at all, it's so choppy and semantic and boring - this coming from a psych. major - that it's incredibly hard to read, let alone retain the information).
Sublime Introductory Textbook
A wonderful introduction to the major personality theorists of the past century or so -- from Freud to Kelly -- written with insight, clarity, and a creative educational 'gimmick' that encourages the reader to apply the theories to many well-known personalities. Not only does the reader learn the fundamental ideas of theorists such as Jung, Adler, and Maslow; he applies those concepts to analyze the likes of Shirley MacLaine, Donald Trump, and Martin Luther King.Read more

Subjects:  1. Personality    2. Philosophy    3. Psychology    4. Psychology & Psychiatry / General    5. The self, ego, identity, personality   

Reviews (11)

So much helpful informaion
The book presents comprehensive overview of this disorder.
Excellent overall broad reference and resource written from compassionate place
This is an excellent overall resource for BPD. It covers the history, causes and course of the disorder as well as the most common treatments both pharmacologically and therapeutically.
Excellent Guide to UnderstandingBDP
This book is thorough, comprehensive and very INSIGHTFUL in its description of Borderline Personality Disorder, and offers detailed lists of available treatments, medications and resources to help patients and their families deal with this desease. I know it because I suffer from BPD and Dr. Friedel describes me to a T... I am the anxious-fearful BPD sufferer with a dose of depression... I was pleasantly surprised to find a clinician who finally gets what I think and feel, something that is not very common.
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Subjects:  1. Borderline personality disorde    2. Borderline personality disorder    3. General    4. Healthy Living    5. Personality    6. Personality Disorders    7. Popular works    8. Psychology    9. Psychopathology - General   

Reviews (4)

Theory of Situated Learning
Lave's book provdes an excellent overview of the concept of situated learning.If you are looking for a theoretical background, than this is the book for you.Lave provdes several useful case studies to illustrate legitimate peripheral particiation.However, if you are looking for a more practical view of situated learning or are interested in learning how to encourage such participation to occur, you might want to consider another book.

Well Researched
In this academic book, the authors argue that most literature on learning ignores the social character of learning. The initial intention of this book was to "rescue the idea of apprenticeship." The authors studied the apprenticeships of midwives, tailors, butchers, and others. They found that learning, to a large extent, was taking place between peers, instead of coming directly from the master.
situated learning
The book is easy to read, extremely interesting and gives a new perspective on learning.In this type of learning the learner models behavior of the teacher.Questions are not asked, behavior is not explained and all of the learning takes place as a result ofobservation and immitation of observed behavior. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cognitive Psychology    2. Education / Teaching    3. Educational Psychology    4. Learning, Psychology of    5. Personality    6. Psychology    7. Transfer of training    8. Psychology & Psychiatry / Personality   

Reviews (1)

Emotions Play A Big Part in Relationships of All Kinds.
Historians explore the early experiences of Lincoln, Churchill, Einstein, Hitler, and Napoleon to find the beginnings of the motivation which shaped their careers.Attempting to learn why people do what they do in particular places and times help to understand their motivations and the consequences.Basic reality is that each and every person is living in and reacting to his environment in different ways at different times.Cyclical changes take place according to the immediate environments and the participants in this drama called life.
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Subjects:  1. Emotions    2. Motivation    3. Motivation (Psychology)    4. Movements - Humanism    5. Personality    6. Personality and motivation    7. Physiological Psychology    8. Psychology    9. Psychology & Psychiatry / Clinical Psychology   

Reviews (18)

Worth purchasing for the relationship section, otherwise mediocre.
Helen Palmer is well-respected author in the Enneagram world. However, I don't personally find her to be one of the best in terms of accuracy, lucidity and covering a lot of ground in a short amount of space. A lot of the information in her books can be found elsewhere and I find these other descriptions of the types more true to life. Other people find Helen Palmer easier to read, so everyone reading this is aware of my bias.
One of the Best Relationship Books of All Time
I was never one for long reviews...but there are only a few books that are a MUST for your library and this is one of them.
I was astounded...
I borrowed this book from an instructor who was teaching the Enneagram to a small group of interested people.When I read the chapter on 4's I was amazed at the accuracy of the personality "type" to my own. It felt as if a clinical psychologist had followed me though my emotional and traumatic years and recorded all of my triumphs and tribulations in a concise, analytical manner. Better still, it explained why my instincts to react were so different from those around me. I learned to see that people have very different motivations than my own which meant that I needed to realize that I could not change them but I could now appreciate why they saw things in other ways.Read more

Subjects:  1. Enneagram    2. General    3. Interpersonal Relations    4. Personality    5. Psychology    6. Popular psychology    7. Self-Help / Personal Growth / General   

Reviews (7)

Easy to Understand
I found this book to be written in a way that is very easy to comprehend, and expresses the ideas clearly.The chapters are short and concise. This book is a great tool to use not only for classes, but to refer to in the future.

You cannot go wrong...
I have a son with autism, a wife who is a psychologist and I run a home ABA program as well as helping in my son's pre-school that is instituting an ABA progam.You cannot go wrong with this book.The fact that this book is in it's 8th edition and is used by many college programs speaks to it's strengths.I did read the one dissenting review where it lowered someone's GPA because they did not understand or test well on the material.ABA is deceptive.While it is the just the science of good learning there is a lot of skill and aptitude needed.Being a member of T.O.P.S., Intertel, Mensa, the International High IQ society to name a few I can see that this is not for everyone.Some people are good at being students, some people are good at understanding and implementing good science; with ABA you need to be in the latter group.If you want a good starting/comprehensive book with a lot of meat on the bone this is the one.

Easy to use, but terribly REDUNDANT!
As a psychology student, I encounted this book in a behavioral modification course.I was not overly impressed by it, but it does have it's usefulness.
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Subjects:  1. Behavior modification    2. Movements - Behaviorism    3. Personality    4. Psychology    5. Behavioural studies    6. Behavioural theory (Behaviourism)    7. Philosophy & psychology    8. Psychology & Psychiatry / General   

Reviews (2)

Most important
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Still needs work
The comprehensive system continues to be reviewed and modified, but Exner still isn't all the way there yet. The text has an overload of information, combining interpretation and research together in a way that is difficultto read. In addition, there are many questions about scoring that are notanswered in the book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Assessment, Testing & Measurement    2. Personality    3. Personality Assessment And Testing    4. Psychiatry - General    5. Psychology    6. Rorschach Test    7. Psychological testing & measurement    8. The self, ego, identity, personality   

Reviews (45)

A good resource
I approached the enneagram from MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) and this book has been a good companion many times.
Awful, Do Not Buy This Book
The author finds fault with the traditional types of personality categorization systems because he claims they only look for abnormal behaviors and are too narrow and abstract.
Great in-depth information on the levels of each type, but lots of redundant material with their other books.
If you are a serious student of the Enneagram this is an important book to own because of the in-depth material on the different levels of each type and the dynamics of how ascent and descent work.
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Subjects:  1. Enneagram    2. General    3. Personal Growth - Happiness    4. Personality    5. Psychology    6. Self-Help    7. Typology (Psychology)    8. Popular psychology    9. Self-Help / Happiness    10. The self, ego, identity, personality   

Reviews (13)

Content hit home
Currently divorcinga partner with BPD, and this book is a wonderful self help effort. I highly recommend it. It puts SO much into perspective.

Very useful information, but does have some shortcomings
This is a unique book in that it presents how to become disentangled from a relationship with someone who has borderline personality disorder.Most books are aimed at the person with BPD and not the people on the receiving end of the dysfunctional behavior.I can see where this is very helpful, for many people and the advice is sound.
A Truly Helpfull Book.

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Subjects:  1. Family & Relationships    2. Family/Marriage    3. Interpersonal Relations    4. Mental Illness    5. Personality    6. Psychology    7. Self-Help / Abuse    8. Self-Help / Codependency    9. Abuse - Psychological    10. Abuse - Spousal Abuse    11. Borderline personality disorder    12. Domestic violence    13. Family & Relationships / Interpersonal Relations    14. Psychology-Mental Illness    15. Psychology-Personality   

Reviews (1)

How to motivate people
The person who reads this book will be the most likely to succeed in any endevor where other people are involved.The ability to mirror someone's behavior and thus earn their confidence and trust is the skill that the reader will gain, if they take the concepts in this book to heart.All of the interpersonal skills a person has accumulated come together when applying the concepts of 'versitility'.It is the morter that holds everything together.Read the book that lays the foundation for all human behavior techniques and you will be able to effectivly motivate others to reach THEIR potential and help YOU get what you want. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Business Life - Fashion/Image    3. Human behavior    4. Human relations    5. Interpersonal relations    6. Management - General    7. Nature/Ecology    8. Personality    9. Social psychology    10. Business & Economics / Management Science   

Editorial Review

Recommended by two highly credible authorities, consciousness explorer Ken Wilber and spiritual-growth guru Harville Hendrix, this compendium of Enneagram information was assembled by the cofounders of the Enneagram Institute as an introduction to the subject. Designed with a plenitude of charts, boxes, and quotes (by noted illuminaries such as A.H. Almaas, Maya Angelou, and G.I. Gurjieff), this exceptionally easy-to-use, manual-size paperback teaches the reader how to figure out which of the nine types she is, identifies red flags to self-illusion, and provides practical suggestions for spiritual growth. Advice on how to observe your type's fixations and let go of the need to act out automatic and dysfunctional behavioral responses are down-to-earth and attainable. A distinctly accessible approach to cultivating daily happiness through understanding the complexity of fixations that weave together human personality types. Read more

Reviews (36)

Spiritual Growth through the Enneagram
I have a half dozen Enneagram books on my personal book shelf. This is the only one that clearly addresses the spiritual path in terms of the Enneagram. This helps you to go beyond 'personality type' to real personhood. I found the layout of the book very appealing, too. A good book to read for beginners to the Enneagram as well as folks with more experience in the teachings.

Best and most balanced single reference on the Enneagram.
This is the best single reference on the Enneagram that I know of and I own a lot of books on the Enneagram and use it in my coaching practice. If I had to limit my recommendations on the Enneagram to one book for all audiences, this would be my top choice by a mile.
My favorite Enneagram Book
The Enneagram isn't easily taught through reading a book, but this one does the best job in both introducing the types and more importantly giving clear ways to work with the system. By including core features and super-ego messages, it helps the seeker go a bit deeper into the types than any other of the books I read--getting behind the personality into what drives and feeds it. The little test at the beginning of each chapter are pretty good, but I think it's better to look at the chart of the levels in each Type chapter to help discover your Type. The chapters feature many exercises to guide the reader into self reflection.Other features, like the "Red Flag" fears of each Type, are addressed helping a person notice when they are losing themselves. I think this is a good book both to introduce the system and for the more knowlegeable student of the System. I have used it as a source to take me deeper and deeper on personal journey and a clear way to help others understand themselves. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Enneagram    2. General    3. New Age (Self Help)    4. Personality    5. Psychology    6. Spiritual life    7. Spirituality - General    8. Christian spirituality    9. Psychology & Psychiatry / Personality    10. The self, ego, identity, personality   

Subjects:  1. Inspirational - General    2. Leadership    3. Maturation (Psychology)    4. Personal Growth - General    5. Personality    6. Psychology    7. Religion    8. Self-perception    9. Popular psychology    10. Self-Help & Practical Interests   

Reviews (4)

An easy-to-read yet rigorous entry point into self analysis
As a software developer and mathematician presently in my early 60's, ever since I can remember I have always been long on technology and short on "people" knowledge Yet from my early adolescence I remember mydad telling me how important it is to know oneself.While I always agreedwith this good advice, whenever I explored my soul, I seemed to fail tocome up with meaningful, non-judgemental answers - possibly because myquestions themselves were not thought provoking. Nice Tool for Self-Definition
I'm a Creator and a Magician!--who wouldn't be happy to have learned that? I'm also a gardener, a teacher, an artist, an adopted grandmother, a community worker, and I have a lot of other roles in life.Because I readthis book, I recognize my strengths and my inclinations better, and I knowwhat to emphasize in my work and in my relationships. I'm glad I read this,and I'm giving copies to others who are unsure about their strengths andhow to apply them.Thanks!

This book is a useful tool for self imptovement and insight.
Dr. Pearson wrote this book with the lay personin mind.I never reallyunderstood what psychological archetypes were until I read this book.Itis a well written "key" which will likely enhance yourunderstanding of Dr. Carl Jung's work.When used with other great bookslike THE MODERN ALCHEMIST and EGO AND ACHETYPE, the average lay person cansupercharge his/her personal understanding of life patterns and challenges,resulting in accelerated inner growth. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Archetype (Psychology)    2. Interpersonal Relations    3. Literature: Folklore/Mythology    4. Movements - Behaviorism    5. Personality    6. Psychology    7. Self-actualization (Psychology    8. Self-actualization (Psychology)    9. Self-realization    10. Mind, body, spirit: mysticism & self-awareness    11. Psychology & Psychiatry / Interpersonal Relations   

Editorial Review

"A bright red scream" is how one of the subjects Marilee Strong interviews in this chilling yet compassionate study of self-mutilation describes the sensation of intentionally inflicting pain upon oneself. It is a compulsion that, while shocking and bewildering to most people, affects 2 million or more Americans and countless others around the globe--one of whom, the late Princess Diana, also suffered from the eating disorders that characterize between 35 to 80 percent of all cutters. Rejecting the classic psychiatric wisdom that views self-mutilation as a species of suicidal behavior, Strong links the phenomenon instead to the will to live--often in the face of such overwhelming childhood abuse that the resulting dissociative behaviors are something akin to posttraumatic stress disorder. Strong touches on other issues as well: Why are most cutters women? And is the current fascination with tattooing and piercing, from its most extreme forms in the "alternative" culture to its growing mainstream acceptance, a sublimation of the cutters' instinct? Through interviews with more than 50 self-injurers, Strong tells the moving story not only of their rage and self-punishment, but also of the courageous journey towards reintegration. (The book also contains an introduction by psychiatrist Armando R. Favazza, author of Read more

Reviews (55)

Boring...
I've been cutting myself since I was 14, now I'm 24. I'm currently writing my own book about self-injury and personally I felt this book was boring. I pushed myself to continue to read it and by the end of the book it ended up being just another book on my shelf.
Powerful and informative read
this book was recommended to me by a patient who struggled with self-injurious behavior. i thank him to this day and have recommended the book to numerous patients and parents of adolescents who self-mutilate. this book is a graphic and eye-opening depiction of the epidemic that self-mutilation has become. notions of self-injury as strictly "attention seeking" are outdated, and this book explores the origins of self-mutilation, its reinforcing value for the injurer, and ways in which sufferers have conquered this seemingly compulsive behavior. it's also a great resource for friends and family members of those who self-injure, as it sheds some light on the inner workings of these individuals and can, thereby, create increased understanding and empathy for the psychological and emotional struggles that underlie self-mutilation. though self-mutilation can be seen as a very primitive behavior, it's expression can be very complicated and not easily understood by those who have never felt such intense emotionality. this is a highly recommended read. as others have noted, however, this book is not for the faint of heart. i also appreciated conterio and lader's book entitled *bodily harm: the breakthrough healing program for self-injurers.*

Comprehensive and intriguing, this is a book for self-injurers and those who care about them
Strong's book is a comprehensive look at self-mutilation, providing dozens of personal profiles interspersed with medical history, mass psychological studies, expert opinions, and treatment philosophies and experiences.Strong herself is a journalist, but she's gained the respect and cooperation of self-mutilation psychiatrist and expert Amrando Favazzo, who wrote the introduction to the book.As the reviews reveal, many cutters have identified with this book, found solace in the fact they are not alone, and been able to seek help after reading the book.This book is not just for self-injurers and their loved ones, however, it is a well-done work of non-fiction appropriate for anyone who wants to learn more about medical conditions and treatments.
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Subjects:  1. General    2. Mental Illness    3. Psychology    4. Psychopathology - General    5. Self-mutilation    6. Abnormal psychology    7. Neurology & clinical neurophysiology    8. Psychology & Psychiatry / Emotions    9. The self, ego, identity, personality   

Reviews (3)

Gold Standard
I used this book in grad school--it is the gold standard in MMPI coverage, clinical uses, etc.

Excellent resource for MMPI-2'ers.
I have used this text for my graduate class I teach on the MMPI-2.It isan excellent text. Very comprehensive.My graduate students found it veryhelpful in learning to appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of theMMPI-2.Awareness of any tests strengths/limitations is crucial to theappropriate use of all psychological tests.Learning to appropriatelyutilize this test as part of a psychological screening or battery iscritical for the training of all clinical psychologists.Graham does anexcellent job of presenting the information in a readable andunderstandable format.

An updated edition to a classic guide and text to the MMPI
This is a superbly useful, updated version of his prior work on MMPI-2 interpretation.As always, Dr. Graham hits the bullseye for clinical usefulness and readability.His interpretive strategy is thorough andpragmatic.While others base their interpretative statements on clinicallore and antedotes, Dr. Graham backs up his interpretations with research. This text is a "must-have" for anyone who administers theMMPI-2--students and clinicians alike. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Assessment, Testing & Measurement    2. Business & Economics    3. Business Law    4. Business/Economics    5. Mental Health    6. Minnesota Multiphasic Personal    7. Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory    8. Personality    9. Personality Assessment And Testing    10. Psychology    11. Psychopathology - General    12. Psychological testing & measurement    13. Psychology & Psychiatry / Clinical Psychology    14. Psychology | Clinical    15. The self, ego, identity, personality   

Reviews (26)

Beyond good.
If you like to think, then you'll love this book. It has something for everyone interested in human development. If you like Tool then you'll like this book. It explains Jungian theory in its own way. It captivates and entertains. Your mind will grow with ideas and wonder.
Should be required reading from high school to old age.
A brilliant description of human nature and how to better deal with the world around us. It opens a door to understanding ourselves; without which we cannot hope to understand our world. Highly recommend it. I ended up buying 4 copies for friends. 5 *s

The point of unlimited possibility
This was the first book by Johnson I read, though my mentors and teachers spoke of him often. The information about the mandorla was particularly helpful, giving a visual and archetypical model for holding the energy of the apparently opposite forces in a space of new possibility.
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Subjects:  1. Person