Interdisciplinary Book and Film Reviews

  Quiet The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking   By   Susan Cain Reviewed by   Geoffrey W. Sutton As the subtitle explains, Quiet is about introverts in an extroverted culture. As a psychologist, I appreciate Cain’s exploration of personality psychology, which included interviews with experts and an awareness of the differences between her broader view of introversion and extroversion compared to the less encompassing features that comprise the personality construct in psychology. As a person favoring many features linked to introversion, I can identify with her stories and affirm the effort required to adapt to the demands of an extrovert-driven culture. In fact, American culture was a bit of a shock to us when we first came to the United States from England where the norm seems to be a polite reserve punctuated with copious amounts of saying “sorry” when we perceive we may have offended someone. What I did not realize as a child is that entire c

STRENGTHQUEST: DISCOVER AND DEVELOP   YOUR STRENGTHS IN ACADEMICS, CAREER, AND BEYOND By    Donald O. Clifton &    Edward Anderson Reviewed by    Geoffrey W. Sutton I read and reviewed (Sutton, 2007b) the 2004 edition of this book published by Gallup. There is a new version ( Second Edition ), which includes a third author, Laurie Schreiner. The authors present their strength-based philosophy, which fits nicely with the concurrent trend in positive psychology (Sutton, 2007a). Others have shown how the strengths approach is compatible with Christianity (e.g., see Sutton, 2007c). "A strength is the ability to provide consistent,  near-perfect performance in a given activity (p. 8)." The authors explain how talent, qua raw material, can be combined with knowledge and skill to produce a unique pattern of strengths. The book and the test have been revised. Overall, I think this approach to identifying personal strengths is a useful starting point in academic and voc

ONE NATION UNDER THERAPY HOW THE HELPING CULTURE IS  ERODING SELF-RELIANCE By Christina Hoff Sommers  & Sally Satel Reviewed by Geoffrey W. Sutton I like to return to New York City on occasion to remember my arrival in the United States. On one visit after 911, we stopped in a Barnes & Noble bookstore and I came across this interesting book, “One Nation Under Therapy.” I’ve been a psychotherapist for years. And like many clinicians, I’ve seen people with a broad range of symptom severity. Some of course struggled so much they required 24-hour care. Others were quite healthy but wanted a confidential sounding board-- nothing wrong with that. But the authors of One Nation Under Therapy have a point-- some in our culture are probably too dependent on outside assistance and have not learned the skills needed to independently manage the rough and tumble of daily life. As I look back on what I wrote, I think this dependency may b

  Living your Strengths By Albert L. Winseman,  Donald O. Clifton,   & Curt Liesveld A Review by Geoffrey W. Sutton Context Many U.S. Universities embraced Gallup’s approach to assessing strengths and discussing how strengths may be used in Higher Education. I attended workshops and conferences organized by the Gallup organization.   The Authors Albert L. Winesman, a former pastor in the United Methodist Church, is the global practice leader for the Gallup Organization. Donald O. Clifton (deceased) former chair of the Gallup Organization, was named the Father of Strengths Psychology by the American Psychological Association. Curt Liesveld, formerly a pastor in the Reformed Church in America, is a developmental analyst, consultant, and seminar leader with the Gallup Organization. Availability:    AMAZON BOOKS     and  CD My Review              “If you’re like most people, you have grown up with the ‘weakness prevention’ model (p. ix).” T