A very hard read at some points, as the stories are very graphic, nasty and very, very real. Sometimes the author gets lost in his thoughts, but the rA very hard read at some points, as the stories are very graphic, nasty and very, very real. Sometimes the author gets lost in his thoughts, but the rest definitely has to be read....more
The author has taken her own experience, a lot of interviews with people who have (or still are using) anti-depressants or other psycho-pharmaceuticalThe author has taken her own experience, a lot of interviews with people who have (or still are using) anti-depressants or other psycho-pharmaceuticals, and combined that with a lot of research on the topic. The book is great on a lot of levels - it explores the technical side (a bit) of the drugs, their rise in the media and the role of Big Pharma in pushing them to the people (redefining or muddling the baseline of "normality"), and also does a great job of showing the lives of the people and their stories. The last part makes the book really helpful to depressed or prone-to-depression people. (which is actually most people I know)
Definitely worth reading and thinking over....more
This wasn't an easy book to read - it challenges a ton of common conceptions and requires careful thinking and reading. The topic of the book doesn't This wasn't an easy book to read - it challenges a ton of common conceptions and requires careful thinking and reading. The topic of the book doesn't make it easier, as most people have problems with talking straight about sex without the help of alcohol or some other social lubricant and reading this would seem weird.
There's also the issue of the overuse of rhetorical questions and some other style oddities (it could've been shorter if those were cut and the book was somewhat more to the point).
But this is a book that everyone has to read once. To quote a friend, you don't have to agree with it, but you definitely need to read it....more
This book a lot of effort to read, but it was worthy.
It shows a lot of the character of women that's usually hidden, almost taboo to talk about directThis book a lot of effort to read, but it was worthy.
It shows a lot of the character of women that's usually hidden, almost taboo to talk about directly. It helps understand women a bit more, show some very bad stuff, some extremely weird, some eye-opening.
It's also a great book on group dynamics and somewhat on character assassination......more
The book has parts which are easy to read, and some which might seem horribly boring (you'll feel like reading some teen drama). It's still a very gooThe book has parts which are easy to read, and some which might seem horribly boring (you'll feel like reading some teen drama). It's still a very good idea to persist and read through all of it.
It's probably one of the most accessible books on group psychology you can find, shows it in a very familiar setting (the school) and gives an insight in the teenagers and their mindset. It's probably an eye-opener for some people, and interesting for people who haven't been in such a school system. It's also a good indication of what's to come...
It also makes me feel very happy never to have had such issues... ...more
First, as everyone (includding me) seems to misunderstand the title - this is not book about the madness in women (although there's some of that), it'First, as everyone (includding me) seems to misunderstand the title - this is not book about the madness in women (although there's some of that), it's a lot more on how it has been used as a label against them, to stop them from deviating from the societal ideas about their place and purpose.
There are some problems with this book - some statements are unsupported, it tries to make you feel like all this is your fault and on some levels does seem to have been written with only female readers in mind.
On the other hand, the information in the book, especially the part with the interviews will be an eye-opener to most people. There are also some very good explanations of things which are otherwise hard to understand (for example, why men don't see the point in women's conversations where it seems like nothing is being said).
It can easily be said that it's one of the good feminist books....more
The most worthy part of the book was the chapter with the successful case (chapter 15). The rest is interesting, but requires a lot of weeding out theThe most worthy part of the book was the chapter with the successful case (chapter 15). The rest is interesting, but requires a lot of weeding out the crap and veiled (and not so veiled) assumptions dished out without any proof.
Also, the first few chapters are very tough to read because of the nature of the information there. Might not be a good idea to read them before going to bed....more
A very good description of Jim Jones' cult and the mass murder/suicide that happened.A very good description of Jim Jones' cult and the mass murder/suicide that happened....more
(I'll probably need to re-read it in a few months)
The book deals with the basics of some of our mental processes and their deficiencies. It describes (I'll probably need to re-read it in a few months)
The book deals with the basics of some of our mental processes and their deficiencies. It describes the most common ones:
The illusion of vision/attention - that we can and see everything we set our eyes on (which is the one shown by the gorilla video and the one that got them the Ig Nobel award);
The illusion of memory - we think that our long-term memories don't change (and they do);
Confidence - we tend to value confidence a lot more than it's worth, and tend to be more confident about anything we're not familiar with;
Knowledge - we think we know more than we actually are (it's shown very well with a "game", pick something like a bicycle and try to draw one explain how does it work exactly, and ask questions about all the details and their details - at some point everyone doesn't know the facts and ideas, but thought he/she knew them);
Cause - "correlation doesn't mean causation", which is also a favorite topic for Nassim Taleb;
Potential - that we think there are easy ways to get smart and tons of untapped potential.
There are some weak points in the book, and some very strange experiments which seem easily refutable, but all in all it has more than the required amount of scientific backing for what they're trying to explain. The book should be read by anyone who needs to use his/her head, because it would help immensely in understanding your own limitations.
(I found this book in the notes of "Blindsight" by Peter Watts, and he keeps a longer list of the ways we're wrong, everyone interested can look in his blog)....more
Книгата представлява монография/изследване на принудителното настаняване и лечение в психиатрични клиники. Базира се на изследване на около 600 пациенКнигата представлява монография/изследване на принудителното настаняване и лечение в психиатрични клиники. Базира се на изследване на около 600 пациента и има доста интересни изводи...
Едно от нещата, които ми направи впечатление беше как един голям процент от недоброволно настанените пациенти са жени (въпреки че повечето диагнози са шизофрения, а тя се среща по-често при мъжете).
Също така въпросниците в приложението се оказаха много интересни и дават идея за начините, по които психиатрите преценяват хората.
Книгата има сериозен проблем с използвания език, като думи от типа на "айтеми". На моменти е сложна за четене, особено за незапознати със статистическите методи, използвани вътре....more
В книгата се намира прилично количество полезна информация - за анонимните алкохолици, различни методи за справяне с алкохолизма, как няма универсаленВ книгата се намира прилично количество полезна информация - за анонимните алкохолици, различни методи за справяне с алкохолизма, как няма универсален такъв, и какъв е процентът на "излекувани", който може да се очаква (около 20%).
Има голямо количество проблеми с езика и стила - книгата определено има нужда от свестен редактор, за да бъде малко по-четима, и с подреждане и наместване на различните части, на моменти изглежда странно слепена. Също така голяма част от субективните изказвания на автора само пречат на изложението....more
The book has a very heavy language (not the kind of too much terminology, but of too much words and over-complex sentences).
It's a good description ofThe book has a very heavy language (not the kind of too much terminology, but of too much words and over-complex sentences).
It's a good description of the "psychopathic personality disorder", called this by the author, otherwise (as he explains) it falls somewhere under "antisocial personality disorder". It's split in four parts - intro, an overview of the patients he studied (about 20 cases), a comparison with other disorders and diseases and a description of the elements of the disorder, and a discussion on some of the unanswered questions (treatment, legal status, etc).
This is the basis for a lot of the following research (like the one of Robert B. Hare) on the topic of psychopaths, their behavior and their danger to society....more
Nice book, and has some sound ideas and advice, although there's a lot of bullshit about the corporate world, and the view about the normal people worNice book, and has some sound ideas and advice, although there's a lot of bullshit about the corporate world, and the view about the normal people working there seems to be too naive. Definitely a good read for anyone who has co-workers/bosses/etc, and as a general description on a accessible level of what's a psychopath and what can be done to protect oneself from one....more
The book is great. Researched in depth, surveys a lot of interesting cases, and gives a lot (at some points too much) food for thought. I wouldn't recThe book is great. Researched in depth, surveys a lot of interesting cases, and gives a lot (at some points too much) food for thought. I wouldn't recommend reading the first part before going to sleep. In fact, read the whole book at once, it seems a bit easier that way. ...more
Не мога да го чета тоя човек. Далеч по-полезно ми беше да прочета за книгата във wikipedia.
Бавен, гаден стил, нищо особено ново, много повторения и каНе мога да го чета тоя човек. Далеч по-полезно ми беше да прочета за книгата във wikipedia.
Бавен, гаден стил, нищо особено ново, много повторения и като цяло човек остава с впечатлението, че му говорят елементарни глупости (което не е съвсем така). Идеите му не са достатъчно нови и велики, че да го оправдаят, че пише така. (трудно ми е да повярвам, че тоя човек и е можел да говори поносимо)....more
I had very high hopes for this book, and was wrong.
Boring and useless, most of the stuff there is obvious. The frequent quoting is also really annoyinI had very high hopes for this book, and was wrong.
Boring and useless, most of the stuff there is obvious. The frequent quoting is also really annoying (I think that the most used punctuation is the quote sign), and the language is the most boring I've ever read.
It seems like a different Lifton wrote this book, not the person that wrote the books on the thought reform, Aum Shinkuryo or the Nazi doctors....more
It's very hard to remember through the book that it was written in the 1950s - even though a lot of stuff in the family dynamics seems old-fashioned, It's very hard to remember through the book that it was written in the 1950s - even though a lot of stuff in the family dynamics seems old-fashioned, most of the observations on the dynamic in the corporations and the people that work in it seem spot-on.
There are some great discussions on individuality, on the scientists in the corporations and academia, the group life and its consequences. Some times the book reads like an anti-utopia, sometimes it has more utopia-like tones, but in the end it's a really balanced and insightful view on the social dynamics and life in such groups.
The language was a bit hard at first, but it doesn't make the book unreadable....more
Книгата си е начален учебник по психиатрия (даже одобрен от МОН). Стилът на писане през доста от времето е ужасен, има странни грешки с английския, а Книгата си е начален учебник по психиатрия (даже одобрен от МОН). Стилът на писане през доста от времето е ужасен, има странни грешки с английския, а голяма част от историческите бележки са си жива загуба на време.
Като изключим горните проблеми, книгата е много интересно четиво, с всякакви интересни подробности и методи. Полезно е да се прочете, ако ще да е само за да може да се схване как мислят психиатрите.
Задължително е да се чете и с прилично количество критична мисъл, защото има някои откровени глупости (например около частта на алтернативната медицина)....more
(now, I label this as "why didn't I read it 10 years ago", but I have no idea if I would've understood it then)
The book is great. Even though the styl(now, I label this as "why didn't I read it 10 years ago", but I have no idea if I would've understood it then)
The book is great. Even though the style is a bit too much like a self-help fairy tale, it's very insightful and makes you think. A lot.
It's a bit hard to relate to part 4, but for the rest I felt like almost every third sentence was a good quote for some occasion.
Definitely one of the worthiest books I've read. Has no answers, but is still more meaningful than the ones that say "do this and everything will be fine". It helped me clarify a lot of things for the depression workshops I do, and is making me rethink them....more
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