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A critical and historical overview of psychology at the crossroads. ... Read more

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Virtually One of A Kind
This is one of those products that is a true treasure, even if only because it is virtually one of a kind._About Psychology_ provides a look through a small window at the confluence of history, theory, and philosophy in the development and perpetuation of ideas in psychology.If only to provide such a perspective, I recommend this to readers.More than that, however, I believe this would make a wonderful addition, as perhaps supplemental reading, for an undergraduate History of Psychology course and a Clinical Psychology course. ... Read more

Book Description
This edited book will provide a critical analysis of all aspects of thediscipline, including conceptions of critical thinking themselves.Additionally, it exposes the profession's underlying assumptions and tacit values to serious evaluation. ... Read more

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Best book on Critical Thinking in Psychology
This book is wonderful!It is by far the best book on critical thinking in psychology available.Written for an capstone course in psychology, _Critical Thinkin About Psychology_ provides a readable presentation of critical issues in psychology as well as plausible alternatives to the prevailing, paradigmatic directions in psychology.Issues are logically broken down into subareas of discussion.I highly recommend this book for any individual interested in gaining perspective on different issues in the broad field of psychology. ... Read more

Book Description
Makes the controversial argument that reinforcement is a real and valuable force in human behavior. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Controversial?
The book description for Mr. Flora's book is one of the reasons why we as nation are still struggling to teach our children well.It is baffling that we have the key to unlocking so much human potential, yet we withhold it for fear of some shadowy determinism which we think will run our lives.Reinforcement does not limit an individual, it profides greater competency, which ultimately gives the individual more choice.I feel that everyone will gain from a reading of this book, and it should be required reading for all teachers. ... Read more

Book Description
Depression is commonly thought of as a biological disorder best treated with antidepressant medications. Pharmaceutical companies and many experts promote this view as established in scientific fact. Here, Leventhal and Martell argue that there is scant actual scientific evidence for this view, and that the issue is open to considerable question. They maintain that there is very little known--they call the evidence "woefully weak"--regarding the role of biology in depression. Marketing by drug producers has not only led the public to accept dubious claims and over-value antidepressants, but has also led medical doctors to prescribe them excessively. Leventhal and Martell argue that the effectiveness of psychological therapy has strong scientific support in the treatment of anxiety and depression, and it is safer and results in less frequent relapse. This book will help consumers decide which treatment is best for them. It includes a list of questions to ask before accepting a prescription for antidepressant medication. Readers will find this book helpful in understanding the controversy surrounding the widespread prescription and use of antidepressants. It traces the history and science behind the pharmaceutical treatment of depression, and it presents, in accessible language, information that will empower readers to make the best choices possible regarding the treatment of their own or their loved ones' feelings of depression and anxiety. The audience for this book includes those who are depressed and considering professional help, those concerned about health care and the services offered in the mental health field, and doctors or mental health professionals who may wish to reconsider the basis for treatments they are recommending to patients. Students and scholars in psychology, clinical psychology, public health, social work, and psychiatry will also find this of interest. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Goes where few books so clearly have gone before
Any college-level health collection, especially those strong in mental health concerns, must have THE MYTH OF DEPRESSION AS DISEASE: LIMITATIONS AND ALTERNATIVES TO DRUG TREATMENT: it goes where few books so clearly have gone before, arguing that there's little actual scientific evidence for treating depression as a biological disorder to be treated with drugs. Indeed, the authors say, there is very little known about the role of biology in depression; but marketing by pharmaceutical companies has perpetuated the myth of chemical imbalance and treatments to benefit their bottom lines. Therapy is under-explored in contrast, and should be one of many alternatives to drug therapies: that's the hard-hitting contention of THE MYTH OF DEPRESSION AS DISEASE, which should earn much classroom discussion as well.

Diane C. Donovan, Editor
California Bookwatch

A Book Worth Reading
This is an impressive book. It will open a lot of eyes, especially eyes that watch ads for antidepressive medication on television. The authors wrote the book for people who feel depressed and need more information and for professional caretakers who want a better understanding of treatments for depression.

The authors argue that there is little reason to go along with the theory that defects in brain chemistry cause depression. When a person is locked in depression, it may well be that his brain chemicals change. However, the authors can't find evidence for the widespread belief, fostered by pharmaceutical companies and biological psychiatrists, that depression is a disease caused by defects in the brain. Some people may indeed inherit a susceptibility, possibly via brain chemistry, to develop depression, but without an interaction with life experiences the predisposition would be unlikely to affect them.

Antidepressant drugs, obviously needed say the pharmaceutical companies if depression is a disease of brain chemistry, can be shown to have a moderate therapeutic effect. However, the authors, based on reviews of a large number of placebo-controlled research trials, found that most of the positive effect could be attributed to a placebo reaction-another eye opener.

The authors view depression, not as a brain disease, but rather as a mood and behavioral disorder resulting from adverse life situations. "It's Not Your Brain; It's Your Life" is their title for a section of Chapter 3. Depression might result from the death of a spouse or the loss of a vocation where the person fails to find a replacement, or, more commonly, from the long-term avoidance of risks of pursuing deeply-held life goals or intimate relationships. Avoidance, manifested as isolation, sleeping, drinking, procrastination, and the like, can be motivated by fears of failure, rejection, humiliation, shame, etc. Behavior therapy and cognitive behavior therapy are described with considerable clarity as therapeutic treatments for depression. The focus of this therapy is replacing the avoidance behavior with effective coping behaviors. Among the most interesting parts of the book is the section in Chapter 5 describing five cases of depression where a "double arrow" diagram points to the crucial step of avoidance that maintains the disorder.

In reviewing the treatment literature, the authors find that these types of psychotherapy are at least as effective as medications in treating depression in the short-term but are more effective in the long-term because the relapse rate is lower after treatment is discontinued. Apparently, psychotherapy is more likely than medications to "stick."

A shortcoming of the book is that some sections are hard to read. These sections, probably intended for a professional audience, seem long and complicated. My suggestion to the reader is to feel free to scan or skip. On the other hand, I found other sections, particularly Chapter 5 describing the behavioral approach to understanding and treating depression, were interesting and easy to read. Three appendices provide practical advice on questions to ask before accepting a prescription, how to find a behavioral therapist, and questions to ask a potential therapist. I think this book is well worth the effort required to read it. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Innovative/creative/synergistic integration of E & W
This is a fine book relating psychoanalysis (PA), including Self Psychology, Object Relations, Freud, & Jung to Zen Buddhism, Taoism, & the martial arts (including archery & Sun Tzu).Suler creates a multi-perspective collage, while avoiding both Euro & Orientocentrism.He notes differences & similarities between Eastern approaches & PA--p. 14: "Without comparing apples & oranges, without exploring their complementarity, how would we even arrive at the concept of `fruit'?Exploring the ways in which two things are both the same & different is the only means by which we arrive at a higher-order concept that integrates the two."However, he also points out that even together they are imperfect-e.g. p. 23: "Both PA & Zen have brandished their own version of infantile grandiosity."He delves into "maladaptive personality structures that may incline a person toward Eastern thought" & p. 153: "deficiencies in the cross-cultural interface" i.e. Eastern masters' scandals.Yet, p. 101: "spiritual growth must entail psychological processes," & p. 137: "perhaps by holding "objective" investigations in one hand & "subjective" insights in the other, we will walk with greater balance toward the higher knowledge that transcends such distinction."Thus, he avoids both East & West extremes-- p. 104: "The cherished sutras of Buddhism...are the entombed words of the Buddha that point to the truth but must not be mistaken for it...they are only a finger pointing to the moon (no-self) & not the moon itself" & p. 262: "PA may sometimes hold too tight to its theories while venturing into fundamental, unavoidable dimensions of human experience."Rather, he stresses synergistic gains from their integration, predicting that p. 263: "Eastern & Western disciplines will be complementary explorers of human nature & complementary healers of human suffering."Included are chapters on the martial arts (including archery & Sun Tzu), paradox, Tai Chi, the vision quest, etc. in which he provides numerous parallels to PA, Zen, & Taoism as well as anecdotal case information.[I'd also recommend Robert Moore/Doug Gillette's "Warrior Within."His perceptive, integrative insights include:
p. 72: "Perhaps different types of pathology may be understood as different disturbances in the interpenetration of self & non-self."
p. 105: "Silence amputates the linguistic/conceptual love of selfhood & leaves it to wither & die."
p. 203-4: "Once clinicians have passed the initial phases of molding the techniques & theories according to their own personality structure; they learn how to use themselves, their own intra-psychic dynamics & subjective meanings, as the agents of psychotherapeutic change...the art of psychotherapy becomes an expression of self."This book is well worth reading.

a marvelous contribution to a dangerous subject
Suler successfully enters and explores an area as fraught with the danger of simplification and distortion as the seemingly ubiquitous published tirades equating (take your pick) Tibetan Buddhism, Zen, Taoism, other esoterica...with quantum physics and relativity theory. Suler's perspective on psychoanalysis alone is worth the price of the book and the time in reading it: his ability to cut through the ridigities of orthodoxy in his field is truly admirable, and his public advocacy for freely allowing Eastern and Western perspectives and practices to coalesce without however projecting on either any primacy or territorial dominion--as evidenced in his own teaching work, summarized at his website (http://www.rider.edu/~suler/tcp.html) is itself a true expression of his understanding of Tao.

Whether or not you practice psychotherapy or counseling, this is a worthy and finely written book, which deserves a much larger audience than it probably is getting.

A stimulating book on psychoanalysis, the Eastern style
As an Asian clinical psychology student interestedin integrating psychoanalytic concepts andbuddhist virtues in conducting psychotherapy andas an existential philosophy, I find this book aprecious rarity. Theauthor was insightful about how Eastern/Buddhist philosophy might bemisused or misinterpreted by some as a way to justify their personalitypathology. He also illuminated how Eastern thoughts and martial arts can beblended into psychotherapeutic work so that both psychological healing andspiritualtransformations can occur.

Suler's perspective is cutting edge.
I learned a great deal from Contemporary Psychoanalysis and Eastern Thought. The book is sophisticated, solid, and full of rich insights. Suler knows psychoanalytic theory extremely well, and he has agift for cross-cultural interpretation. Psychoanalysts unreceptive toEastern ideas, students of Eastern thought unversed in psychoanalysis, andall serious students of transpersonal psychology should read Suler's book.It is a substantial work of scholarship and an admirable example ofcross-cultural dialogue.

by Michael Washburn, for the TranspersonalReview, edited by Mark Robert Waldman ... Read more

Book Description
Challenges existing paradigms of knowledge as they relate to Asian Americans. ... Read more

Book Description
Growing Critical is an introduction to critical psychology, focusing on development. It takes a fresh look at infancy, childhood and adulthood and makes the startling claim that "development" does not exist.

John Morss guides the reader from the early critical movements of the early 1970s which gave rise to the "social construction of development" through the wide range of more recent approaches. He looks in turn at Vygotsky's "social context of development," at Harre's "social construction," Marxist critique of developmental psychology, psychoanalytic interpretations of development and post-structuralist approaches following Foucault and Derrida. He surveys the range of alternative positions in the critical psychology of development and evaluates the achievements of Newman and Holzman, Broughton, Tolman, Walkerdine and others.

Marxism, psychoanalysis and post-structuralism--as well as such movements as feminism--challenge our understandings of human development. In Growing Critical, Morss examines the implications of these challenges. ... Read more

Book Description
The metaethical philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas challenges Western egocentrism by describing the self as egoic yet nevertheless ethically called to transcend its own obsessions, compulsions, and addictions, and to respect and serve others. While power is powerful and weakness is weak, power can sabotage itself, and the weakness of others has power to command our attention and service. Levinas makes distinctions that offer psychology the basis for an alternative paradigm open to paradox. In The Paradox of Power and Weakness, George Kunz shows how the analyses of hagiography, cynicism, and limits on altruistic behavior by radical altruism contribute to this psychology of ethical responsibility for social sciences. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

In a word: Superb
As both a clinical psychologist and an individual deeply interested in those attributes that make us truly human, I have to say that this book is one of the best I have read in many years.Dr. Kunz offers not only an easy to understand synthesis of what is arguably the most important work by Levinas, but cogently argues that psychology could benefit greatly by incorporating his ideas.I thoroughly loved the book and very highly recommend it.

Kunz uses Levinas to radically open up the way we live.
Kunz's book is a wonderful read without losing the thickness of Levinas'sideas. It answered the question I've struggled with for years, if you'rehappy and complete, why act? He makes a clear case for moving the center ofexistance off the ego and onto the other. We act because need in the faceof the other calls us to act. In the face of that need we have no choicebut to act, even if that act is to turn coldly from those in need.

Heargues for a new psychology based not on the ego as the center of theworld, but on the need of the other as the center of the world.

This bookradically opened up my way of being with the ideas of Levinas, and I can'trecommend it highly enough. ... Read more

Book Description
Evolutionary psychology has been dominated by one particular method for studying the mind and behavior. This is the first book to both question that monopoly and suggest a broad range of particular alternatives. Psychologists, philosophers, biologists, anthropologists, and others offer different methods for combining psychology and evolution. They recommend specific changes to evolutionary psychology using a wide variety of theoretical assumptions. In addition, some essays analyze the underpinnings of the dominant method, relate it to the context of evolutionary and psychological theory and to general philosophy of science, and discuss how to test approaches to evolutionary psychology. The aim of this collection is not to reject evolutionary psychology but to open up new vistas which students and researchers can use to ensure that evolutionary psychology continues to thrive. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An Excellent Collection of High Quality Papers
The human brain is the result of a long and complex evolutionary trajectory. Evolutionary psychology attempts to use this fact to understand the human brain's particular capacities and limitations. Evolutionary psychology has provided many key insights into human behavior. First, since the human brain is extremely costly to nurture and maintain, its general contribution to human fitness must be high, and hence the brain must be an adaptation to the particular conditions under which our species evolved. Therefore, understanding these conditions may shed strong light on human psychology. Second, the human brain's information processing capacities are likely to be closely associated with the particular adaptive needs of our species, rather than being a simple, general purpose information processor. Thus, rather than being infinitely malleable, humans are predisposed to behave in certain ways in the sense that under a very broad range of environmental conditions some behaviors will be virtually universally exhibited and others will be extremely rare, while behaviors to which we are not predisposed will be exhibited either not at all, or only in a very restricted set of environmental circumstances. In short, evolutionary psychology holds that a consideration of our evolutionary history is extremely powerful in generating plausible hypotheses concerning human psychology that can be tested using the standard tools of experimental research.

Those who reject evolutionary psychology in the general form stated above are generally either ill-informed or have a political or religious agenda that clouds their scientific judgment. Creationists, for instance, cannot accept evolutionary psychology. Nor can Marxists or extreme cultural determinists, for whom human nature either does not exist, or takes the form of infinite cultural malleability.

Evolutionary psychology, then, is simply one more tool (albeit an unusually powerful tool) in the behavioral scientist's repertoire. However, a small but highly creative and extremely influential group of evolutionary psychologists, including D. Buss, J. Tooby, L. Cosmides, D. Symons, S. Pinker have constructed a version of evolutionary psychology that includes key assertions that are highly contentious and many believe are incorrect. These thinkers appear to many scientists (myself included) to form a sort of scientific cult: they always agree with each other, they reject any outside criticism, their message never changes, and they recruit by directly training new members rather than having their ideas accepted by the general scientific community. To distinguish this group from evolutionary psychology in general, I will call their doctrine EvPsych (the book under review calls them "narrow" evolutionary psychologists, a particularly poor choice of words, since they are anything but narrow, and Kluwer, the bureaucratic and infinitely stuffy publisher, true to form, insists on an identically worded disclaimer at the head of each chapter of book, saying that by "narrow" they do not mean "narrow.")

EvPsychers believe that (a) human culture is an effect of human genetics, and culture explains nothing important concerning human behavior; (b) human behavior in general is an adaptation to the specific conditions of the Environment of Evolutionary Adaptation (EEA) in which our species emerged from other hominid species; (c) the human brain is a highly modular organ, each module having emerged to solve a particular evolutionary problem; (d) for this reason, the human brain lacks all the characteristics of a general information processor, and cannot solve any problems other than those that challenged our existence in our dim evolutionary past. In particular, we are doomed to apply old, generally ineffective, methods to the solution of new problems. This is the tragedy of the human condition.

EvPsych is wrong in each of the above assertions, and everyone knows this except the EvPsychers themselves. Moreover, they have hindered the general integration of evolutionary psychology into the repertoire of behavioral science with their tendentious and outlandish claims. The book under review is an important contribution towards restoring evolutionary psychology to its rightful place in the behavioral sciences. It's main attraction is that the editors, Steven Scher and Fredrick Rauscher, recognize that the best critique is a cogent alternative, and this is exactly what the various chapter of the book provide for us. I do not have the space to comment on each of the thirteen chapters, but a few prominent themes emerge.

First, several authors challenge the coarse-grained modularity assumption of EvPsych, using our contemporary neuroscientific and developmental knowledge of the structure of the brain. This includes especially stunning contributions of Steven Quarts, William Bechtel, and Jennifer Mundale. These authors present the state of the art understanding of the neurological development of the human brain from embryo to adult form, and argue for a "developmental evolutionary psychology" in which the brain has a fine-grained modularity that results from the dynamic interaction between organism and environment during growth and maturation of the individual.

Second, several authors challenge the "gene-centered" view of evolution, which the EvPsychers borrowed from Dawkins, Hamilton, Wilson and other biologists who dominated evolutionary theory in the 1960's and 1970's. Thus Linnda Caporeal argues for "repeated assembly," which is a form of what is commonly known as gene-culture coevolution, and David Sloan Wilson points out the errors in reasoning that lead gene-centered theorists to reject truly altruistic (other-regarding) behavior in humans. Sarah Blaffer Hrdy exposes the sexual stereotypes of the gene-centered approach by reviewing the evidence on female mate choice.

Several chapters are philosophically-motivated critiques of EvPsych. I do not believe that philosophers ever contribute by criticizing scientific theories, and I think my view is confirmed by this book.

I quite recommend this book to those who are new to the field. There is some excellent material here. A major drawback is the publisher, Kluwer. The book is grossly overpriced, there is no index or general bibliography, and the typeface is cramped and low resolution.
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Book Description
Dark Light is about seeing the world through imagination and stimulating our imagination about the world. It provides an imaginative account of how our daily lives are lived through us by larger forms and forces. The book reveals how these forms and forces play out in such ordinary experiences as ball games, television, relationships, violence, and race relations. In presenting the psychological and spiritual significance of death, Schenk details how our imaginations can help to reveal the soul, and allow us to live deeper lives. He puts forth three main ideas: (1) our everyday lives are shaped by patterns and images that link ordinary existence with the world of myth and spirit; (2) we can become aware of these patterns in our day-to-day experience by utilizing our imagination; (3) because the mysterious mythic elements usually work against our conscious ambitions and intentions, they may be felt as a sort of "death" while actually deepening our experience. In other words, while our will moves us toward one goal, larger, more mysterious influences take us in different directions. Accepting our life experiences imaginatively as psychological events affords us the opportunity to live our lives from a deeper place. ... Read more

Book Description
At a time when scores of seemingly incompatible theories and methods are competing for ascendancy in psychotherapy, one could argue that the crucial intellectual and moral dilemmas of this field are largely philosophical in nature. Yet most psychotherapists are never formally exposed to philosophical thinking during their training years or subsequent careers. Between Conviction and Uncertainty: Philosophical Guidelines for the Practicing Psychotherapist makes a significant contribution by bridging this gap. Jerry Downing examines and clarifies the philosophical context--epistemological, scientific, moral--within which psychotherapy functions. He demonstrates the necessity of maintaining a creative tension--a dialectic--between conviction and uncertainty in the work of the therapist and, more importantly, he explores in depth how this might be done. Further, he presents these sometimes complex ideas in prose that is truly reader-friendly. This book should appeal to all practitioners, supervisors, and students/trainees who find value in reflecting on the nature of psychotherapeutic practice, as well as to readers with theoretical or philosophical interests in psychotherapy. ... Read more

Book Description
An accessible introduction to the psychoanalytic theories of Jacques Lacan, intended especially for American psychologists but useful to anyone interested in the work of this important thinker.

Written with the American psychological community in mind, The Subject of Lacan provides an accessible introduction to the psychoanalytic theories of Jacques Lacan. The contributors address issues and theories that define the field of psychology for its practitioners, researchers, and theorists. Focusing on a wide range of topics, including cognitive science, family therapy, psychoanalytic technique, psychotherapy versus psychopharmacology, gender and sexuality, psychology of religion, psycholinguistics, and cultural diversity, this book makes an important contribution to the understanding of the radically innovative character and complexity of Lacanian theory. ... Read more

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Book Description
Looks at the limits of free will in human action. ... Read more

Book Description
This book addresses one of the most enduring debates within psychology, namely, the conflicting claims of those who adopt an individual, cognitivist perspective and those who adopt a social, culturalist perspective.The authors examine this debate and provide fresh insights that permit the bridging of traditional dualisms between self and society with respect to the subject matter of psychology, and between scientism and relativism with respect to knowledge about this subject matter. ... Read more