Reviews (5)

Thankyou Dr. Simeon
I thought I was the only one.I was amazed at how informative this book is.One of the personal accounts is almost identical to my own.I never knew it had a name until I discovered this book.It has given me renewed hope.I hope this book inspires more research in the field of depersonalization.If you even suspect you may suffer from this, read it.

Fascinating!
An enlightening book on a subject that has needed Illumination. This book covers the many forms and facets of DPD as well as the many ways it has been described, defined and managed. It covers therapies and medicines that have helped and those that have not. The case studies are fascinating and show just how varied this disorder manifests itself. It is so well written that it seemed every question and skeptic querie that came to mind regarding the cases were anticipated by the authors and answered by the end of the chapers. An easy read on a tough subject!

I've been waiting for this book my entire life!
I first experienced depersonalization and derealization around age 4 or 5. It wasn't frightening then; it was simply a "game of existential thinking" I had control of. But as the years progressed it became a debilitating altered state of consciousness that took over my life. I have had both symptoms "DP" and "DR" -- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, even in my dreams -- for over thirty years. This altered state has stolen my goals and dreams; it has severely affected my social and occupational pursuits.
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Subjects:  1. Clinical Psychology    2. Depersonalization    3. Identity (Psychology)    4. Personality    5. Psychology    6. Psychopathology - General    7. Psychiatry    8. Psychology & Psychiatry / Clinical Psychology    9. Psychology | Clinical   

Reviews (6)

Narcissism revealed
This book clarifies the nature of personality disorders. I was researching narcissim for my Master's in Counseling program. Some of the terminology and concepts wer difficult to understand, but the overal picture is crystal clear. This book should be mandatory reading for all therapists. It is the most comprehensive work in modern times on the nature and range of personality styles. I wonder what the author is doing now?

Paradigm Shift
This book was the only text used in my graduate Psychopathology class.Five years later I have gone back again and again for use in my practice.Johnson brilliantly integrates most of the psychodynamic schools of thought to construct a "characterological-developmental" model of motivation, personality development, and treatment of psychopathology.He delineates components of character in terms of etiology, symptoms, cognitive styles, defenses,pathogenic beliefs, self and object representations, and affective characteristics.In addition he outlines treatment goals and objectives for each character in cognitive, affective, and behavioral areas.Johnson manages to bring psychoanalytic terminology down to earth and put it in existential terms (e.g. The Hated Child, The Used Child, etc).
This book is a treasure
I will never part with this book.It's an eye-opener like no other book on human nature that I know of.I wish I read this book when I was younger; it would make my life a whole lot better.I also would've been a better parent.This book should be mandatory reading for every couple that's expecting a child -- but also the adult children with charcterological problems.
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Subjects:  1. Individual differences    2. Nature and nurture    3. Personality    4. Personality and culture    5. Personality development    6. Personality disorders    7. Psychology    8. Psychopathology - Compulsive Behavior    9. Clinical psychology    10. The self, ego, identity, personality   

Reviews (1)

Good introduction to biopsychosocial assessment
The authors all teach at the Smith College School for Social Work, andthis book developed from their lectures on biopsychosocial theories ofdevelopment.Their students report that of all the books purchased duringtheir graduate career, this is the one they refer back to most often. Well-chosen cases illuminate the theories, and issues of culture and genderare nicely integrated. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Movements - Psychoanalysis    2. Personality    3. Psychology    4. Psychotherapy - General    5. Psychology & Psychiatry / General    6. Psychotherapy   

Subjects:  1. Behavior    2. Cognitive Psychology    3. Movements - Behaviorism    4. Personality    5. Physiological Psychology    6. Psychology    7. Social Psychology    8. Control (Psychology)    9. Psychology & Psychiatry / Personality    10. The self, ego, identity, personality   

Reviews (6)

Paradoxically fluffy and profound
I think this, aside from Keirsey's, "Please Understand Me II," is probably the most useful book I've found in understanding the overarching theory and subtheories of Jungian-Briggsian personality theory.This slim volume manages to convey a number of different sub-theories of how preferences interact, from the conflicts between the Perceiving and Judging functions, to temperament.Sometimes these models can seem to conflict with each other, however, this seems to flesh out the theory more than a simple one-perspective guide ever could. A Mixed Bag for MBTI-philes
As a layman fascinated with all things MBTI, I picked up this book with eagerness, hoping it might give deeper insights into what other books and Websites discussed, or tread new ground.I was somewhat disappointed. Great Addition to Jung and Myers-Briggs
I find this book to be intellectually rewarding.I have studied Character Typing alot and in college it is my major.This book helps you really understand the many facets of type and how they interact.Thanks ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Differential Psychology    2. General    3. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator    4. Personality    5. Psychology    6. Typology (Psychology)    7. Communication Studies    8. Self-Help / General    9. The self, ego, identity, personality   

Reviews (3)

Another book from psychologists who wouldn't touch a writing course with a 10 foot pole.
Though most people who are buying this textbook probably don't have much of a choice in doing so as it was likely selected by their professors.This is just a fair warning that this is perhaps one of the most poorly written psychology textbooks I've come across in my college career.Being a third-year psych major, I've come across quite a few.I think quite simply one of the biggest problems with this book is brevity (and the fact that the author/editors had no concept of the word).It quite literally takes about 5 chapters to say what can be summed up in less than a single highly informative page.Now, I understand that in textbooks there is reason to explain and provide examples and I enjoy reading textbooks that do this well.However in "Personality: Classic Theories and Modern Research" the editors don't seem to mind going on for pages and pages about barely related concepts and ideas that provide little to no insight to what they're talking about, followed up by an endless number of pointless examples.If there are any professors reading this, I highly suggest taking a second look at this book before forcing it down the throats of your students.Please do not make the same mistake that the sorry excuse for a grad-student teaching my Personality Psych class has made.Thank you for taking this time to read this review.I do hope it's helpful either in choosing your class (and perhaps dropping a class that requires this text) or for professors choosing a textbook for their class.

Just right
I teach undergrads in an urban university with varying degress of preparation for college. I reviewed many texts and finally chose Friedman because it is so clear. I wanted a college level but relatively uncomplicated book and this is it. I like the many comparative charts to help students understand similarities and differences in each approach. I also like that it covers themes (gender, culture, stress, love/hate) as well as broad theories, so it it like 2 books in one. For the right audience, this is the best book I found.

Very clear, but lacks depth
I used this book for a course in personality, and therefore worked with this textbook for a good 16 weeks.The main plus with this book is that itbreaks down theories to make them understandable, and then uses famousexamples to illustrate them.Madonna and Hugh Grant are personalities mostpeople are familiar with, and therefore makes the text easier tograsp.Read more

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

Reviews (13)

A bright set of studies, but the framework is somewhat vague
In the first two chapters of the book, Howard Gardner considers those components that make leadership possible. He reviews the features of human development that make possible the phenomena of leadership: humans' primate status, early socialization and so on. The author introduces a set of distinctions that figure in a cognitive approach to leadership: such factors as direct/indirect forms of leadership, leadership within and across domains, inclusionary/exclusionary kinds of stories, identity stories, the embodiment of stories, and resistances and counterstoreis.The author identifies four factors crucial to the practice of effective leadership: a tie to the community (or audience); a certain rhythm of life (combination of being inside the fire and being able to do reflection in isolation); an evident relation between Stories and Embodiments; and the centrality of choice.
Scholarship of Leadership
Gardner does something very rare in the leadership literature...he provides a book with practical ideas based on solid research and scholarship.Where many leadership books present only one person as a role model, Gardner uses a range of examples from a variety of areas to develop a simple but effective model of how to be an effective leader.

Intelligence: Not Beyond Good and Evil
This time in collaboration with Emma Laskin, Gardner has again produced a remarkably entertaining as well as informative book, one in which he takes a cognitive approach when examining eleven great leaders: Margaret Mead, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Robert Maynard Hutchins, Alfred P. Sloan, Jr., George C. Marshall, Pope John XXIII, Eleanor Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, Jr., Margaret Thatcher, Jean Monnet, and Mahatma Gandhi. Read more

Subjects:  1. Entrepreneurship    2. General    3. Leadership    4. Political Process - Leadership    5. Political Science    6. Politics/International Relations    7. Psychology    8. Social, group or collective psychology    9. The self, ego, identity, personality   

Reviews (9)

Useful, but too much Psych 101
This is a very useful book.It has a lot of longwinded information about the Enneagram.The only thing that really turned me off to it was that it is overly concerned with Psychological Disorders and attempts to place each enneagram type in a little box labelled with the DSM IV psychological problem that may accompany it.If you are looking for a spiritual approach to the ennagram, keep looking.Check out Palmer or Almaas.

Useful Enneagram Resource With A Few Small Problems
I have been a student of the enneagram for over a decade, and own both the original and "revised" editions of this book. I am generally a fan of Riso & Hudson's work, and this book certainly does a respectable job of introducing readers to the basic "nuts and bolts" of the enneagram. As such, I feel comfortable recommending it as a good introductory text. Some readers (myself included), however, might find themselves a bit distressed by the frequent cross-references to Don Riso's prior and exhaustive volume on the Enneagram, "Personality Types." Since I also own that book, a concept briefly introduced and then concluded with the reference "(PT, 31-32)" is not a problem for me, but would probably be confusing or annoying to a reader who has picked up "Understanding the Enneagram" as their first book on the subject.
Amazing!Best Enneagram Book I Have Read!
I have read significant parts of about 5 or 6 Enneagram books, and this is, by far, the best one I have read.It not only helps the reader understand the workings of the Enneagram and people of the different Enneagram types, it also gives good, very kindly written (but firm and honest) non-obvious advice to people of the different types that can be implemented in their day-to-day lives.It is extremely well-written--The great intelligence of the authors is quite evident. Full of very important insights and revelations, I think it is definitely one of the most important books of modern times.
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Subjects:  1. Enneagram    2. Personality    3. Psychology    4. Self-evaluation    5. Self-perception    6. Psychology & Psychiatry / Personality    7. The self, ego, identity, personality   

Reviews (2)

Let's Not Go Completely Overboard
Like pretty much anything in which Neil's involved, this a fine and useful work. The reviews of Teddy Millon's Axis II taxonomic extensions are worth most of the considerable price of admission here all by themselves. But after 30 years in the field, I'll warn any newcomers that getting any too rigid with treatment plan rollouts will make you as nuts at the people you're treating.
Absolutely essential!
If you write treatment plans then you must have this book.Well organized and easy to follow for any mental health professional.It saves me time and allows me to customize my treatment plans for my clients' individual needs.If you own the DSM-IV, this book is the perfect companion.Regardless of theoretical orientation this book will help you to satisfy the demands of managed care.It is indispensable and, in today's world of managed care, this book is the ultimate time saver. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Handbooks, manuals, etc    2. Mental Illness    3. Personality    4. Personality Disorders    5. Psychology    6. Psychopathology - General    7. Psychotherapy - General    8. Abnormal psychology    9. Neurology & clinical neurophysiology    10. Psychology & Psychiatry / Personality    11. Psychotherapy    12. The self, ego, identity, personality   

Reviews (3)

Dust cover missing when bought brand new
The book was sent without the depicted dust jacket cover.

The only Rorschach interpretation book you'll ever need.
This book is, without question, the best book on Rorschach interpretation I have ever seen.Highly recommended.Weiner uses Exner's structural summary as the foundation, then incorporates Schafer's psychoanalytic approach for the interpretation of thematic imagery and idiosyncratic contents.Excellent integration of structural summary, thematic imagery, test behavior, and sequential analysis approaches.In addition to translating Exner's often stilted language into much more clinically useful language, the chapter on sequential analysis is worth the price of the book on its own.Excellent case presentations integrating the interpretive principles presented earlier close out the book.A must-have book for anyone who wants to make better sense of all the data provided by the Rorschach method.

Excellent source for anyone interested in the Rorschach
This book conveys in a clear language the complexities of the Rorschachinterpretation.The case examples provide a very good practice forgrasping what is essential.I would recommend this book to anyone involvedwith the Rorschach interpretation.Will never be without it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Assessment, Testing & Measurement    2. Forensic Psychology    3. Interpretation    4. Personality    5. Psychology    6. Rorschach Test    7. Psychological testing & measurement    8. Psychology & Psychiatry / Testing & Measurement    9. The self, ego, identity, personality   

Reviews (1)

A superb resource for researchers in intrinsic motivation
For anyone researching or writing in the area of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation this is an invaluable resource. The first chapter gives a detailed overview of Self-Determination Theory and its sub-theories from the theory's originators, Deci & Ryan. Subsequent chapters by a range of distinguished researchersprovide detailed literature reviews linked to theory in a variety of contexts, notably education and the workplace. This book has saved me probably hundreds of hours of searching and interpreting the research literature in this field the hard way! Although certainly an academic text, I didn't find it too dry. Most of the authors write well and their enthusiasm for the subject shines through, (although perhaps this was my impression because I feel the same way!). Highly recommended. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Autonomy (Psychology)    2. Personality    3. Psychology    4. History of medicine    5. Science / History    6. The self, ego, identity, personality   

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

Reviews (6)

Time Travel in the comfort of your own home...
I studied with, and then worked with, both Tad James and Wyatt Woodsmall in the early days of TimeLine experimentation. This book is the foundation I use when working with others and teaching timeline techniques for personal use.
Let go those emotions
I came across Time Line Therapy during my self improvement travels and use the audio cd Journey on the Time Line which the author has also produced.
3 books for the price of one
In the 260 pages of text this book contains, you'll actually get 3 books.Read more

Subjects:  1. Neurolinguistic programming    2. Personality    3. Personality change    4. Psychology    5. Time perception    6. Popular psychology   

Reviews (2)

Passion for evangelism, but misses the point -- faith comes by hearing
"I gave up on evangelism..." begins Mike Bechtle's book that explores his journey to bridge his personality with a well-suited evangelistic methodology. Bechtle describes himself as an introvert who has been frustrated by extrovert approaches to evangelism. With a kindhearted and fatherly approach, the author shepherds and encourages the reader and the body of Christ to re-engage in the great commission.
A Needed Perspective
Books on evangelism are often written by extroverts who think that an outgoing "sales" approach is the only way to evangelize. Mike Bechtle explains that evangelism does not take one universal form; the act of evangelism can manifest in many different ways depending on personality type. This enables us introverts to stop feeling guilty and learn how our unique gifts can be used to fulfill this essential part of the Gospel. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity    2. Christianity - Evangelism    3. Christianity - Evangelism - Personal Witnessing    4. Evangelism    5. Evangelistic work    6. Introversion    7. Personality    8. Religion    9. Religion - Evangelism    10. Religious aspects    11. Typology (Psychology)    12. Religion / Evangelism   

Reviews (1)

Good Reading....
Competency-based recruiting is made easy with MBTI and this book nicely explains all the finer points of the technique. I recommend this book for all those who wish to implement Competency based activities in their organization ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Mental Health    2. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator    3. Personality    4. Personality Assessment And Testing    5. Psychology    6. Typology (Psychology)    7. Psychology & Psychiatry / Personality    8. Psychotherapy    9. The self, ego, identity, personality   

Reviews (24)

good book
people can learn alot about a few different types of person's mentalities from reading this book and also can take a test to see what kind of person they are. i took the test and felt the results were accurate. it was a fun read

Amazing! Brilliant! Highly Useful!
WOW! At first I thought this would be a run-of-the-mill psych book, but it is actually outstanding! I've read about personality from some other sources, but this is by far the best I've seen. It is a goldmine of useful information. You will find out exactly what kind of person you really are. You will find the answers to the mysteries of your life. You will find out why you behaved the ways you did and why your life has turned out the way it has. You will find out how to get the best out of your particular set of personality traits. You will find out how to best deal with other people of different personalities. I found out why my parents were unnurturing - it's because that's just how the workaholic types are. This book describes 13 different personality styles which everyone has to varying degrees. This book shows you how they affect things like your work and love life. It shows you how to best cope with and minimize your weaknesses. This book enabled me to accept who I am and make the best of it. This book answered so many questions that have been a vexing mystery to me all my life. I think there are a few therapists here poo-pooing this book because it is very helpful and THEY are NOT! They're jealous! Truth is that most therapists and psychiatrists are incompetent and just waste your time. Many people like me know that from bitter experience. This book is VALID because it perfectly nailed down my personality traits and explained them like nothing else ever has and gave me tons of very helpful info and advice that I didn't even dream existed.
Great Choice
Think you may have a personality disorder, but you're not completely sure? This book has tests to show where you stand on the continuum of such. From healthy avoidance to Avoidant Personality Disorder. From focused and persistent to Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder...this book has simple self tests to make you look inward and review your thinking. I recommend this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Personality    3. Personality disorders    4. Psychology    5. Typology (Psychology)    6. Self-Help / General   

Reviews (7)

The book is OK
If you want basic cognitive techniques, this is a good little book. But these ways of thinking are difficult to have a big effect unless you complement it with cognitive group therapy for this disorder. My major problem with the book is it's total lack of information conserning the subconscious, since the automatic fear responses arise from that part of us. In my view, results will be better when the person combines cognitive self-help/group therapy with fitting visualization techniques. Willpower is always important, but mental imagery training helps the irrational aspects to be more easily tackled by the rational mind. A lot of intelligent people having this disorder is proof that it can be difficult to just "think it away". The negativeprogramming behind sosial anxiety lies deep in the psyche. But it's not what's going on outside the person that's a problem, it's the filter called perception, the way the person thinks about what's going on outside him, that's causing the fear. Reality and real life is mostly what happens inside of all of us. Social anxiety is a type of filter giving the person overlearned/irrational responses, like it's a push of a button. The person is not the disorder. The person is not this filter. It needs to be reprogrammed. This can be done. Rapee's book gives you part of the recipe. Personally I would recommend "Psycho-Cybernetics" by Maxwell Maltz, "The Power of Your Subconscious Mind: One of the Most Powerful Self-Help Guides Ever Written" by Joseph Murphy, and "Change Your Life in Seven Days" by Paul McKenna (currently available at Amazon.co.uk). These books give a broader understanding of how the mind works and how it can be changed.

Best book to overcome social anxiety
I've never left a review for a book, but after reading this really helpful book I am in debt with Mr. Rapee. This is an easy to read book, short (116 p), that goes straight to the point. I've read 5 books on social anxiety and I can say that this is the most practical one, with tips that you can start applying immediately. There are cognitive suggestions to overcome your fears, issues about exposure (what he calls reality testing), and tips about improving your social skills. But remember that this book alone won't cure you: In my case, medication, group therapy, and aerobic exercise (yoga too) are other weapons I'm using to fight sad and anxiety. Good luck.

A Lifesaver!!
My therapist assigned this book when I sought treatment for SA/SP.It was exactly what I needed to get me off the couch and back out into society.Rapee's book offers a plan that's simple and easy to follow, regardless of your educational background.Other reviewers chide the writing as 'low brow' and 'junior high grade level', but they have to remember that SA/SP isn't limited to College Graduates.This book is MUST whether your in therapy or simply looking for a self-help option for SA/SP. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anxiety    2. Bashfulness    3. General    4. Personality    5. Psychology    6. Psychotherapy - General    7. Self-Help    8. Social phobia    9. Treatment    10. Cognition & cognitive psychology    11. Psychiatry    12. Psychology & Psychiatry / Applied Psychology    13. Psychotherapy   

Subjects:  1. Personality    2. Psychology    3. Psychology & Psychiatry / Personality   

Reviews (10)

Take what you need.
I found this book extremely helpful in dealing with my own emotions, not just the lack of emotion of the narcissist. It also helped me recognize the narcissistic tendencies of others, including myself and the mirroring of those tendencies when one lives with a narcissist.
A Very Helpful Book
I think that this is one of the best books on the subject of narcissism that I have ever read, and having a narcissist for a husband, I have read many. I disagree with the reviewers who found this book "religious" and "preachy". There are only a very few references to religion, and they definitely do not get in the way of the helpful information that this author provides. It is well written, and right on the money. For anyone who needs help in dealing with narcissistic people, this book is a must read. I can't wait to put all of the authors information to good use.

Harmful, dangerous book
Narcissism is a very nasty personality disorder which has little to do with simple selfishness.It involves emotional and sometimes physical abuse of the people involved with the narcissist.Over time, it results in the emotional devastation of the victim of the narcissist.You cannot learn to "deal" with a narcissist in a close relationship.Implying that narcissistic personality disorder is something that can be "managed" is cruel to the victim, who has no doubt already gone through hell trying every method imaginable to deal with their abuser.Victims of the narcissist need to be told to end the relationship, just as do victims of physical violence.I would view the statement (made in the book) that narcissism is to be "forgiven" as a joke, if I didn't know that innocent, well-meaning victims are going to attempt to follow this advice and end up even worse off.Do you really think it is best to devote YOUR LIFE to someone who proves by their actions every day that the only person they care about is themselves, and are willing to lie, cheat and steal from anyone, even their own family? Someone who stays with a narcissist has two names:enabler and victim.Children born to narcissistic parents end up manipulated and used.By staying with a narcissist, are you willing to sentence your children to a life of emotional abuse?There are several VERY good books for the victim of the narcissist.If you want one that is short, inexpensive, and easy to read, try "When Your Perfect Partner Goes Perfectly Wrong". ... Read more

Subjects:  1. General    2. Interpersonal Relations    3. Narcissism    4. Psychology    5. Self-Help    6. Popular psychology    7. Self-Help / General    8. The self, ego, identity, personality   

Subjects:  1. Achievement motivation    2. Educational Psychology    3. Inspirational    4. Motivation    5. Motivational & Inspirational    6. Personality    7. Psychology    8. Social Psychology    9. Perception    10. Psychology & Psychiatry / Social Psychology