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The Unconscious in Neuroscience and Psychoanalysis: On Lacan and Freud (The Routledge Neuropsychoanalysis Series)
by Marco Máximo BalzariniThe Unconscious in Neuroscience and Psychoanalysis presents a unique and provocative approach to the assimilation of these two disciplines while offering a thorough assessment of the unconscious from a neuropsychoanalytic and Lacanian perspective.Marco Máximo Balzarini offers a comprehensive overview of Freud’s theory of the unconscious and its importance within psychoanalysis, before looking to how it has been integrated into contemporary neuropsychoanalytic work. Paying close attention to the field-defining work of neuropsychoanalysts such as Mark Solms, Francois Ansermet, and Pierre Magistretti, Balzarini considers the dichotomy between neuroscience and psychoanalysis, and the omnipresent debate on if and how they should be integrated when working with the unconscious. Throughout, he provides a fascinating Lacanian interpretation, showing how the work of Lacan can offer a new way of developing the dialogue and understanding around this vital topic.Part of the Routledge Neuropsychoanalysis Series, this book will be of interest to any psychoanalyst seeking to explore the foundations of the relationship between neuropsychoanalytic and Lacanian ideas in their clinical and theoretical work.
The Unconscious in Shakespeare's Plays
by Martin S. BergmannJust as concerts emerge from the interaction of many instruments, so our understanding of Shakespeare is enriched by different approaches to him. Psychoanalysis assumes that creative writers have the need to both reveal and conceal their own inner conflicts in their works. They leave residues in their works that, if we pay attention, can become building blocks that reveal aspects of the unconscious. Readers may find that the questions raised add to the pleasure of reading Shakespeare and that they deepens their understanding of his plays. Topics covered include the pivotal position of Hamlet, the poet and his calling, the Oedipus complex, intrapsychic conflict, the battle against paranoia and the homosexual compromise. By using psychoanalytic techniques in analyzing his plays and characters, the author reveals more about Shakespeare's hidden motivations and mental health.
Unconscious Incarnations: Psychoanalytic and Philosophical Perspectives on the Body (Psychology and the Other)
by John Panteleimon Manoussakis Brian W. Becker David M. GoodmanUnconscious Incarnations considers the status of the body in psychoanalytic theory and practice, bringing Freud and Lacan into conversation with continental philosophy to explore the heterogeneity of embodied life. By doing so, the body is no longer merely an object of scientific inquiry but also a lived body, a source of excessive intuition and affectivity, and a raw animality distinct from mere materiality. The contributors to this volume consist of philosophers, psychoanalytic scholars, and practitioners whose interdisciplinary explorations reformulate traditional psychoanalytic concepts such as trauma, healing, desire, subjectivity, and the unconscious. Collectively, they build toward the conclusion that phenomenologies of embodiment move psychoanalytic theory and practice away from representationalist models and toward an incarnational approach to psychic life. Under such a carnal horizon, trauma manifests as wounds and scars, therapy as touch, subjectivity as bodily boundedness, and the unconscious ‘real’ as an excessive remainder of flesh. Unconscious incarnations signal events where the unsignifiable appears among signifiers, the invisible within the visible, and absence within presence. In sum: where the flesh becomes word and the word retains its flesh. Unconscious Incarnations seeks to evoke this incarnational approach in order to break through tacit taboos toward the body in psychology and psychoanalysis. This interdisciplinary work will appeal greatly to psychoanalysts and psychoanalytic psychotherapists as well as philosophy scholars and clinical psychologists.
Unconscious Intelligence in Cybernetic Psychology
by Torben HansenThis important book examines how the growing field of cybernetic psychology - the study of the creative complexity of the mind - can be applied to a range of different realms, tapping into the unconscious potential within us all. Cybernetic psychology integrates theories from various schools of thought, bringing them together in one unified theory. First developed and described by Danish author and psychotherapist Ole Vedfelt. It can be used in therapeutic practice, in relation to learning and pedagogics, and as a tool for better leadership. The 15 chapters within this volume apply the theory to these as well as other areas, including ecology, creativity, mindfulness and scientific enquiry itself. Insightful and wide-ranging, the book will appeal to psychotherapists and those working within mental health, as well as students and researchers across Education, Psychology and beyond.
Unconscious Logic: An Introduction to Matte Blanco's Bi-Logic and Its Uses (The New Library of Psychoanalysis #Vol. 21)
by Eric RaynerWhile the theories of Matte Blanco about the structure of the unconscious and the way in which it operates are generally recognised to be the most original since those of Freud, for many people the ways in which his ideas are expressed, including the use of terminology from mathematics and logic, make them difficult of access. Eric Rayner has written the first clear introduction to Matte Blanco's key concepts for psychotherapists and psychoanalysts and all those concerned with moving psychoanalytic thinking forward. He sets out the central ideas in a way which is easy to understand and then shows, with examples, how they relate to clinical practice. He also describes how the ideas are related to those of people in other disciplines - mathematics, logic, psychology (specifically Piaget), and anthropology, among others. Drawing on the work of a group of people who have been inspired by Matte Blanco's thinking to extend their own ideas and test them out in the consulting room, this book reveals the significance of Matte Blanco's thought for future research.
Unconscious Mental Life and Reality
by Richard EkinsIt shows the present collection of seminal essays to offer a balanced yet rigorous examination of the durability and contemporary relevance of psychoanalysis, understood as a comprehensive system of theory and technique. The contributors eschew the establishment of yet another school of Freudian thought, not wishing to add to the already confusing array of competing and conflicting perspectives. Each essay seeks to underscore, refine and add to the perceived strength, richness and flexibility of early psychoanalytic thought. A broad range of psychoanalytic concerns are addressed: the unconscious, mind and brain, mind and body, affect, cognition and character. Each topic is surveyed in a spirit of thoughtful and judicious consolidation. Open, and well-informed, a sure course is taken between the opposing dangers of dogma and fragmentation. Insisting upon a well-grounded appreciation of the origins and historical unfolding of psychoanalysis, and remaining close to both clinical observations and theoretical developments, the present volume looks forward to the continuing fertility and pertinence of psychoanalytical exploration.
Unconscious Networks: Philosophy, Psychoanalysis, and Artificial Intelligence (Routledge Studies in Contemporary Philosophy)
by Luca M. PossatiThis book develops an original theoretical framework for understanding human-technology relations. The author’s approach, which he calls technoanalysis, analyzes artificial intelligence based on Freudian psychoanalysis, biosemiotics, and Latour’s actor-network theory. How can we communicate with AI to determine shared values and objectives? And what, ultimately, do we want from machines? These are crucial questions in our world, where the influence of AI-based technologies is rapidly growing. Unconscious dynamics influence AI and digital technology and understanding them is essential to better controlling AI systems. This book’s unique methodology— which combines psychoanalysis, biosemiotics, and actor-network theory—reveals a radical reformulation of the problem of the human mind. Technoanalysis views the mind as a hybrid network of humans and nonhuman actants in constant interaction with one another. The author argues that human unconscious dynamics influence and shape technology, just as technology influences and shapes human unconscious dynamics. He proceeds to show how this conception of the relationship between the unconscious and technology can be applied to social robotics and AI. Unconscious Networks will appeal to scholars and advanced students interested in philosophy of technology, philosophy of artificial intelligence, psychoanalysis, and science and technology studies.
Unconscious Phantasy (The\psychoanalytic Ideas Ser. #No. 6)
by Riccardo Steiner'There is no doubt that "phantasy" or "unconscious phantasy", as it started to be used in the English translation of Freud's work in the late 1920s and 1930s to differentiate it from "fantasy", is one of the most important theoretical and clinical concepts of psychoanalysis.'- Riccardo Steiner, from the IntroductionIn this outstanding new collection, the vital concept of unconscious phantasy is debated and examined by such luminaries as Joseph and Anne-Marie Sandler, Jean Laplanche, J-B Pontalis, Susan Isaacs and Hanna Segal. Sigmund Freud's seminal paper Formulations of the Two Principles of Mental Functioning heads an impressive collection and provides a welcome reminder of the beginnings of this theory. The inherent difficulties in translating Freud's work have contributed to the conflicting interpretations that are so illustrated so well in the following articles. By collecting together such diverse opinions of Freudians, Kleinians, Lacanians and Neuroscientists on unconscious phantasy, Riccardo Steiner has created a fresh and compelling elucidation of this fascinating subject.
The Unconscious Significance of Hair: A Sort Of Autobiography (Collected Works of Charles Berg)
by Charles BergOriginally published in 1951, the implications of this book were thought to be far wider and deeper than its title suggests. 'Hair-activities are chosen merely as a sample of uncritically accepted human behaviour. The author then proceeds to examine them very carefully in the light of dreams, anthropology, folklore, symptoms and perversions. He shows them to be an expression of instinct-driven tensions and conflicts. The popular illusion that they are determined by reason or adaption to reality is exploded. The corollary is inescapable; if in this innocent particular our thoughts and behaviour are symptomatic expressions of an unconscious conflict or complex, how much more psychopathic would our more significant ideas, beliefs, institutions, customs and laws prove to be on similar detailed investigation! Is, therefore, our self-expression in life and civilization nothing more than a symptom, identical in its source and mechanism with the symptoms of nervous and mental illness? The book is really a psychiatric criticism of normality based upon a chosen item of typically normal behaviour. It is, however, written in a way that will be easily understood by every intelligent reader.' This book is a re-issue originally published in 1951. The language used is a reflection of its era and no offence is meant by the Publishers to any reader by this re-publication.
Unconscious Thought in Philosophy and Psychoanalysis
by John Shannon HendrixUnconscious Thought in Philosophy and Psychoanalysisexplores concepts throughout the history of philosophy that suggest the possibility of unconscious thought and lay the foundation for ideas of unconscious thought in modern philosophy and psychoanalysis. Hendrix considers the workings of unconscious thought, and the role that unconscious thought plays in thinking, language, perception, and human identity. The focus is on the metaphysical and philosophical concepts of unconscious thought, as opposed to the empirical or scientific phenomenon of 'the unconscious', and it is argued that these metaphysical concepts still played an important role in the psychoanalysis of Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan. With chapters drawing on a wide range of philosophers from Plotinus to Freud and Lacan,Unconscious Thought in Philosophy and Psychoanalysis casts an original and thought-provoking perspective on the relation between unconscious thought and conscious thought, different kinds of thinking, and the relation between thinking and perceiving.
The Uncontrollable Child: Understand and Manage Your Child's Disruptive Moods With Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills
by Matis MillerEvidence-based skills, insight, and methods drawn from dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) to help you gain a greater understanding of your child's behavior, parent them with compassion and confidence, and restore peace to your home. Is your child extremely irritable most of the time? Do they have difficulty interpreting social cues? Are they impulsive and prone to outbursts or explosive rages? <p><p>Parenting a child who has emotional dysregulation can be a bumpy ride. You've probably received advice—some of it unsolicited—from friends, teachers, and family members. But strategies and techniques that work for other kids are usually ineffective when it comes to your unique child, and can even lead to more stress for everyone in your family. <p><p>The Uncontrollable Child is here to help. Written for parents of children with emotion dysregulation disorders, including disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD), The Uncontrollable Child is a lifeline. It contains a powerful set of skills based in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)--including mindfulness, validation, limit-setting, and behavior-shaping—to help you better understand your child and their behavior, and successfully find balance between acceptance and change, flexibility and consistency, and limits and love. As a parent, you want the very best for your child, but if you have a child with explosive emotions, you need extra help. Let this book guide you toward creating a nurturing, healthy, and loving environment in which your whole family can thrive.
Uncoupling: Turning Points in Intimate Relationships
by Diane VaughanWith extensive use of interviews of both straight and gay couples, married and live-ins, the book explains in lucid and engaging detail the turning points in intimate relationships showing that there are basic similar patterns.
Uncoupling Convention: Psychoanalytic Approaches to Same-Sex Couples and Families
by Jack Drescher Ann D'ErcoleWhat does it mean to be member of a gay/lesbian couple or family? The contributors to Uncoupling Convention: Psychoanalytic Approaches to Same-Sex Couples and Families address this question by drawing on two cultural movements of the twentieth century: psychoanalysis and the gay/lesbian civil rights movement. Taken together, these traditions provide a framework for understanding, and providing psychotherapeutic assistance to, gay and lesbian patients who present with troubled relationships.The contributors to this volume espouse a clinical focus that supplants the heterosexual perspectives of traditional psychoanalysis with new narratives about family life. Drawing on cultural, feminist, gay/lesbian, and queer studies, they illustrate how concepts of gender and sexuality are routinely informed by unproven heterosexist assumptions - both conscious and unconscious. By examining the changing developmental needs and family dynamics of gay and lesbian families, the contributors broaden our very understanding of what a family is. They illustrate how contrasting cultural constructions of homosexuality and family life play out in same-sex couples. They delineate the multiple realities of gender subjectivity, both in children and in their gay parents. They ponder how technology is shaping reproductive experiences, as lesbians become part of the biomedical system. And they explore recurrent themes of feeling different and ashamed, including the shameful secrecy surrounding same-sex couples' financial matters. In uncoupling conventions, the contributors are effectively coupling post-Freudian psychoanalysis with the insights of queer theory and the critical edge of contemporary cultural studies. The result is a framework for addressing the relational and family-related challenges of gay and lesbian patients that ranges far beyond traditional approaches and will benefit analytic, couples, and family therapists alike.
Uncovering Critical Personalism: Readings from William Stern’s Contributions to Scientific Psychology (Palgrave Studies in the Theory and History of Psychology)
by James T. LamiellThis book brings together the central tenets of William Stern’s critical personalism. Presented for the first time for an English-speaking audience, this selection of original translations and essays encapsulates the critical framework of Stern’s personalistic psychology. The selected works highlight the philosophical basis of Stern’s personalistic views, illustrate their relevance in domains of theoretical and practical importance in psychology, and reveal Stern’s critical stance on certain methodological trends that were gaining favor within psychology during his lifetime. Lamiell’s own chapters contextualise the translations by providing an overview of the most basic tenets of critical personalism, and offering a commentary on paradigmatic commitments within scientific psychology’s mainstream that began to impede Stern’s efforts prior to his death, and that remain obstacles to personalistic thinking in the discipline today. Largely ignored by his contemporaries, this work forms part of an emerging body of scholarship that seeks to reintroduce Stern’s thinking into contemporary psychology. The book is intended for academically oriented scholars with interests in historical, theoretical and philosophical issues in psychology.
Uncovering Ideology in English Language Teaching: Identifying the 'Native Speaker' Frame (English Language Education #19)
by Robert J. LoweThis book introduces the concept of the ‘native speaker’ frame: a perceptual filter within English Language Teaching (ELT) which views the linguistic and cultural norms and the educational technology of the anglophone West as being normative, while the norms and practices of non-Western countries are viewed as deficient. Based on a rich source of ethnographic data, and employing a frame analysis approach, it investigates the ways in which this ‘native-speaker’ framing influenced the construction and operation of a Japanese university EFL program. While the program appeared to be free of explicit expressions of native-speakerism, such as discrimination against teachers, this study found that the practices of the program were underpinned by implicitly native-speakerist assumptions based on the stereotyping of Japanese students and the Japanese education system. The book provides a new perspective on debates around native-speakerism by examining how the dominant framing of a program may still be influenced by the ideology, even in cases where overt signs of native-speakerism appear to be absent.
Uncovering Shame: An Approach Integrating Individuals and Their Family Systems
by James Harper Margaret HoopesThis work articulates a conceptual model of shame and guilt intended to help professionals assess and identify not only shame-prone individuals but also the family systems in which it has developed.
Uncovering the Act of Maternal Infanticide from a Psychological, Political, and Jungian Perspective
by Brooke LauferUsing a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds, Laufer examines the topic of maternal infanticide through the lens of Jungian theory and presents an integrated and forensic view of this issue as an aggregate of personal and political moments, and as a feminine and feminist outcry urging human evolution.The first part of the book will dissect the identity of the infanticidal mother and the Death Mother archetype, with the author providing firsthand accounts of patients that she has worked with in her professional career. The second part of the book focuses on interpreting that act of maternal infanticide, and these chapters will look to the construct of patriarchal Motherhood as a way of explaining the drive and actions of an infanticidal mother. The third and final section of the book takes the concept of evolution and transmutation a step further and addresses what is required in our modern state for the event of maternal infanticide.This is an important new book for Jungian and analytic clinicians and scholars with an interest in maternal archetypes, as well as psychologists and psychiatrists who specialize in perinatal mental health. It would also be appropriate for forensic psychologists and legal analysts, and academics and clinicians in the fields of women’s health and studies.
Uncovering the Resilient Core: A Workbook on the Treatment of Narcissistic Defenses, Shame, and Emerging Authenticity
by Patricia Gianotti Jack DanielianUncovering the Resilient Core provides a comprehensive and inclusive methodology that guides the therapist into the nuances and complexities of the therapeutic relationship throughout the entire course of treatment. With its psychodynamic/relational orientation, this Workbook is unique in that it begins with character pathology in its widest spectrum and moves in depth to understanding and treating corrosive shame, dissociation, trauma and narcissism, including narcissism’s many hidden cultural and dynamic manifestations. The applied nature of this text draws from a wide variety of case examples as well as progressive therapeutic techniques designed to help deepen therapeutic listening skills. Training concepts are organically linked to videotaped treatment examples, with ample discussion questions and case analyses that can be used in your own supervision groups. These videos can be found on www.routledge.com/9781138183285 and serve as companion illustrations closely following the learning points in the text itself.
The Undead Mother: Psychoanalytic Explorations Of Masculinity, Feminity And Matricide
by Christina Wieland‘A state of mourning is something that the late twentieth century has been uniquely unable to achieve. A culture based on the interchongeobility of products and people, a throw-away culture, is not conducive to mourning…Inanimate objects hove replaced human ideals. A culture of ‘virtual reality’ which finds it difficult to distinguish between the living and the inanimate has been created - a culture of the undead. This culture is not grounded on human relationships but in the destruction of them.’ In this book, Christina Wieland offers the reader a far-reaching and devastating critique of masculinity, femininity, and contemporary culture. Drawing inspiration from the work of Melanie Klein, the author demonstrates how the Western psyche is based upon denial of the power of the mother, and the elevation of the fother into a repressive, authoritorion figure. This act of universal motricide has wrought havoc throughout Western culture. As Wieland graphically illustrates, both women and men ore denied the opportunity to mourn their separation from the mother, but must contend instead with the guilt that surrounds her murder, and the ever-present terror of her vengeful return – as ‘the undead mother’. Re-appraising masculinity and femininity, the author re-visits a wide and fascinating range of myths, fairytales and stories. Her critique casts new light on the writings of Freud, Klein, Kristeva and Irigaray. Her vivid presentations of clinical material also show how ihe undead mother mokes her presence felt in the consuhing room, and the steps which con be taken towards more genuine, reparative mourning.
The Undeniable Favor of God: Achieving My Present by Walking in the Light of God's Love
by Elizabeth Jean BruceA licensed psychologist and trauma expert shares the story of how she met life&’s challenges and achieved personal fulfillment through faith. Having a sense of purpose significantly contributes to the quality of our lives. Many people experience God-given &“callings&” to achieve distinctive goals in life. These yearnings give us a sense of fulfillment by showing how we fit into the wholeness of creation. But discovering our purpose and establishing a major long-term goal are only the first steps of the journey. We must also understand what is required of us to reach our final destination, and make sure to note the milestones we achieve along the way. There will be difficult periods during the journey. To see our way through them, it helps to surround ourselves with people who strengthen our emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. We must also utilize our faith in God, who keeps us fortified to endure disheartening times. Dr. Bruce believes that wonderful things happen as life unfolds. In The Undeniable Favor of God, she teaches others how to focus on the beauty, truth, and light of life.
Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls
by Lisa DamourAn urgently needed guide to the alarming increase in anxiety and stress experienced by girls from elementary school through college, from the New York Times bestselling author of Untangled“An invaluable read for anyone who has girls, works with girls, or cares about girls—for everyone!”—Claire Shipman, author of The Confidence Code and The Confidence Code for Girls Though anxiety has risen among young people overall, studies confirm that it has skyrocketed in girls. Research finds that the number of girls who said that they often felt nervous, worried, or fearful jumped 55 percent from 2009 to 2014, while the comparable number for adolescent boys has remained unchanged. As a clinical psychologist who specializes in working with girls, Lisa Damour, Ph.D., has witnessed this rising tide of stress and anxiety in her own research, in private practice, and in the all-girls’ school where she consults. She knew this had to be the topic of her new book. In the engaging, anecdotal style and reassuring tone that won over thousands of readers of her first book, Untangled, Damour starts by addressing the facts about psychological pressure. She explains the surprising and underappreciated value of stress and anxiety: that stress can helpfully stretch us beyond our comfort zones, and anxiety can play a key role in keeping girls safe. When we emphasize the benefits of stress and anxiety, we can help our daughters take them in stride. But no parents want their daughter to suffer from emotional overload, so Damour then turns to the many facets of girls’ lives where tension takes hold: their interactions at home, pressures at school, social anxiety among other girls and among boys, and their lives online. As readers move through the layers of girls’ lives, they’ll learn about the critical steps that adults can take to shield their daughters from the toxic pressures to which our culture—including we, as parents—subjects girls. Readers who know Damour from Untangled or the New York Times, or from her regular appearances on CBS News, will be drawn to this important new contribution to understanding and supporting today’s girls.Advance praise for Under Pressure “Truly a must-read for parents, teachers, coaches, and mentors wanting to help girls along the path to adulthood.”—Julie Lythcott-Haims, New York Times bestselling author of How to Raise an Adult
Under Shifting Stars
by Alexandra LatosThis heartfelt novel for fans of Jandy Nelson and Adam Silvera follows twins Audrey and Clare as they grapple with their brother's death and their changing relationships-with each other and themselves. Audrey&’s best friend was always her twin, Clare. But as they got older, they grew apart, and when their brother Adam died, Clare blamed Audrey for the accident. Now, Audrey&’s attending an alternative school where she feels more isolated than ever. Tired of being seen as different from her neurotypical peers, Audrey&’s determined to switch to the public high school, rebuild her friendship with Clare, and atone for Adam&’s death . . . but she&’ll need to convince her parents, and her therapist, first. Clare knows her sister thinks she&’s the perfect twin, but Audrey doesn&’t realize that Clare&’s &“popular&” status is crumbling—she&’s begun to question old friendships, dress in Adam&’s clothes, and wonder what feelings for a nonbinary classmate, Taylor, might mean. As she grapples with not only grief but also her gender fluidity, Clare wonders where she&’ll belong if she sheds her carefully constructed image and embraces her true self. Will first crushes, new family dynamics, and questions of identity prove that Audrey and Clare have grown too different to understand each other-or that they've needed each other all along?
Under the Bearskin: A junior officer’s story of war and madness
by Mark Evans Andrew Sharples'A fast-paced, thrilling account of British heroism, brave men surrounded and fighting against overwhelming odds. This is the real, sometimes shocking, and deeply personal story of modern warfare and PTSD.' Andy McNab'This hugely timely book reveals in gripping detail the personal stories of its hidden victims - lest we forget.' Damien LewisTrapped in an isolated outpost on the edge of the Helmand desert, a small force of British and Afghan soldiers is holding out against hundreds of Taliban fighters. Under brutal siege conditions, running low on food and ammunition, he experiences the full horror of combat. As the casualties begin to mount and the enemy closes in, Evans finds both his leadership and his belief in the war severely tested. Returning home, he is haunted by the memories of Afghanistan. He can't move on and his life begins to spin out of control.Under the Bearskin was previously published as Code Black.
Under the Gaze of Global Mental Health: A Critical Reflection (The Politics of Mental Health and Illness)
by Janaka Jayawickrama Jerome WrightThis book critically examines how the globalisation of mental health through the dominant medical model has created barriers to understanding and responding to distress with reference to cases from Malawi and Sri Lanka. Its authors argue that mental health must be understood within the overall health of an individual, and individual health is located within the social, political, cultural, economic, and environmental context in which they live. Their analyses demonstrate that supplanting locally developed responses to distress with a Western medicalised model of mental health inhibits a meaningful engagement with individuals and communities in need of care. Further, they argue that this &‘supplanting&’ is analogous with a colonial endeavour, and one which diverts attention from the real problems of development. Across contexts the book highlights the difficulties that mental health professionals face in facilitating individuals&’ capacities within structurally damaging socio-economic environments and increasingly commercially orientated health systems. This book will appeal in particular to students, researchers and practitioners working across the fields of mental health, medical anthropology, social work, and health and development studies.
Under the Influence: Putting Peer Pressure to Work
by Robert H. FrankFrom New York Times bestselling author and economics columnist Robert Frank, bold new ideas for creating environments that promise a brighter futurePsychologists have long understood that social environments profoundly shape our behavior, sometimes for the better, often for the worse. But social influence is a two-way street—our environments are themselves products of our behavior. Under the Influence explains how to unlock the latent power of social context. It reveals how our environments encourage smoking, bullying, tax cheating, sexual predation, problem drinking, and wasteful energy use. We are building bigger houses, driving heavier cars, and engaging in a host of other activities that threaten the planet—mainly because that's what friends and neighbors do.In the wake of the hottest years on record, only robust measures to curb greenhouse gases promise relief from more frequent and intense storms, droughts, flooding, wildfires, and famines. Robert Frank describes how the strongest predictor of our willingness to support climate-friendly policies, install solar panels, or buy an electric car is the number of people we know who have already done so. In the face of stakes that could not be higher, the book explains how we could redirect trillions of dollars annually in support of carbon-free energy sources, all without requiring painful sacrifices from anyone.Most of us would agree that we need to take responsibility for our own choices, but with more supportive social environments, each of us is more likely to make choices that benefit everyone. Under the Influence shows how.