Posted by badhaircut on September 21, 2004, at 11:39:32
In reply to Vote for three books, posted by Dinah on September 21, 2004, at 8:17:37
Dinah Great idea. But as so often with new PB features, I don't quite get how Bob is planning to implement it. (Maybe my post should go to your Admin thread.)
I wonder if a link from the intro to a big *list* of recommended books would work better? I think having only 3 books in the intro to a board that covers "psychology" (a rather broad topic itself) and "DIFFERENT theoretical orientations and techniques" of psychotherapy is bound to imply bias and limits. There are supposedly HUNDREDS of distinguishable, published techniques of therapy. Even if, as some researchers claim, most therapists end up doing about the same thing no matter what their orientation, the theories they use can be way different mutually exclusive, even.
No 3 books can fairly cover the spread. I can't even represent my own thinking in just 3 books, but here's a sampler:
"The Moral Animal: Evolutionary Psychology and Everyday Life" by Robert Wright attempts to explain why humans seem mentally & emotionally so ill-adapted to our lives.
"Feeling Good" by David Burns is probably the #1 best-selling modern self-help manual. It's a cognitive-behavioral approach, but the techniques can be cherry-picked and used in any therapeutic program.
"Brain Lock" by Jeffrey Schwartz applies mostly to unpleasant compulsive urges, but a central issue in it is a challenge for all of us: Are my troublesome feelings & thoughts "me" or "not-really-me"?I don't expect many other votes for these books. Quasi-democratic tho' a vote would be, posts to the Psychology board are heavily weighted to issues of the "therapeutic relationship" transference and so on. Those are important, but if the choice of 3 books is similarly skewed, I (for one) would feel less connected here.
Anyway, I like the idea of making specific psych books & our comments about them more permanent & easy-to-find. I'm not sure how it can best be done, but 3 books per board seems bound to be unfair...
Actually, I'll post more about that to the Admin thread. Thanks!!
poster:badhaircut
thread:393298
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20040918/msgs/393338.html