Work and Human Behavior

by Walter S. Neff

Work is a many-sided human enterprise that has been written about from a great many different points of view, representing almost every field of knowledge and almost every level of our social structure. Merely to identify these points of view is an impressive task. The subject of work has been written about by theologians and philosophers, by poets and novelists, by historians, economists, and sociologists, by biologists and naturalists, by politicians, by essayists and journalists. It has been described as both a blessing and a curse, as the chief means through which man has developed a high culture, and as a ravager of our natural environment. Following the preface, and an introductory chapter on the scope of the problem of work the title is divided up into four main sections, which include: The Nature of Work, Clinical Issues, Work and Mental Health, and Some Contemporary Problems Since the first two editions, new issues have arisen that are currently leading to a certain amount of public uproar. The first issue concerns the sources of worker productivity prompted by the current decline of preeminence of United States industry both in the world market and in certain aspects of our internal market. The second issue involves the complex relations between work and mental health, with work being viewed, on one hand, as a factor in the generation of insecurity and mental illness and, from another, as a factor in the treatment of the severe mental disorders. While much of the current published material on these two issues is characterized more by heat than by enlightenment, the third edition includes new chapters in these widely debated areas.

362 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1985

Reviews

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Walten Neff sets the standard for excellent scholarly work on psychology and social science in general. This book is by far the best overview on the topic of work (as he noted in 1974, there wasn't much that psychology had to say on the topic then, and I haven't personally come across anything striking since). More than that, he uses a light, accessible writing style to explore various aspects of work and behavior, exploring each issue from multiple angles. This is probably the single best thing about the work, since it provide the balance and perspective that you don't generally find in scholarly publications, whether for professionals or the general public.

I read this book in pieces over the course of two years, so it wouldn't make much sense to get into the details of the ideas and issues reviewed (except in the most general and pointless way), so I'll leave the comments to the general theme, scope and style of the book. Students and professionals of the social sciences would strongly benefit from reading this at any point in their career, if not for the specific issues related to work or the methods of psychological study, than certainly to use as a model of good writing.