Psichologai irgi klysta

by Paul Pearsall, Julius Kvedarauskas (Vertėjas)

PAUL PEARSALL (1942-2007) Pasaulyje pripažintas neuropsichologas, filosofijos daktaras, universiteto profesorius Paulas Pearsallas taip pat yra ir septyniolikos knygų bei daugiau nei 200 mokslinių straipsnių autorius. Visą gyvenimą jis siekė plačiai dalintis platesniam žmonių ratui sunkiai prieinamomis asmeninėmis ir mokslinėmis žiniomis. Paulas Pearsallas skatino kritiškai vertinti tiek naujausius mokslo tyrimus, tiek ir visuotinai pripažintas tiesas, ypač savipagalbos, psichologijos ir medicinos srityse. Už savo veiklą jis buvo ne kartą apdovanotas įvairiomis premijomis, tačiau labiausiai vertino savo darbe sutiktų žmonių asmenines patirtis.

Gydytojas pajuokavo, jog šią knygą perskaičiusiam psichologui telieka pasikarti. Tačiau kai perskaičiau knygą, sustiprėjo noras gyventi. Mėgautis gyvenimu. Skanauti knygas. Ne ryti, bet sukramtyti jose pateikiamą sielos ir proto maistą. Nebekimšti į save savipagalbos „mėsainių“, nuo kurių lūžta knygynų lentynos.
Vertėjas, psichologas Julius Kvedarauskas

Kartais nelengva atskirti paprastumą nuo banalumo, aiškumą nuo primityvumo. Taip pat nėra lengva atskirti populiariąją psichologiją nuo komercinio psichologinio „popso“. Ši knyga gali tapti puikia patarėja, padedančia atsirinkti iš daugelio šiuo metu madingų ir populiarių psichologijos knygų. Ją vertėtų perskaityti tiems, kurie mėgsta visokius „tobulėjimus“, „asmenybės augimus“ ir greitos laimės paieškas. Psichologai irgi neturėtų aplenkti šios knygos, kad galėtų atsakingiau rekomenduoti psichologinę literatūrą savo klientams.
Psichoterapeutas Robertas Petronis

Genres: Self Help, Psychology, Nonfiction

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Dr. Paul Pearsall was a licensed clinical neuropsychologist, clinical professor at the University of Hawai`i, and on the Board of Directors of the Hawai`i State Consortium for Integrative Health Care. He was a member of the heart transplant study team at the University of Arizona School of Medicine and Senior Research Advisor for the Human Energy Systems Laboratory at the University of Arizona.

Reviews

[Adelė · Rating 5 out of 5]

Labai greitai nutupdė ant žemės:))

[Gediminas Tumėnas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Visų pirma verta pažerti kritikos knygos vertėjui už pavadinimo vertimą, kuris radikaliai iškraipo kūrinio esmę. Originalus pavadinimas skamba taip:
The Last Self-Help Book You'll Ever Need: Repress Your Anger, Think Negatively, Be a Good Blamer, and Throttle Your Inner Child
Ir tai reiškia:
Paskutinė savipagalbos knyga, kurios Jums kada nors gali prireikti...

Paul Pearsall kritijuoja itin populiaria tapusią savipagalbos literatūrą ir jos suformuluotas tiesas, kurios spėjo paplisti populiariojoje kultūroje ir žmonių mąstyme. Kritikuoja ir jos autorius, kurie neturi psichologinio išsilavinimo, o prisiima gyvenimo mokytojų ar psichologų vaidmenis. Pearsall parodo jų teiginių klaidingumą remdamasis moksliniais psichologiniais tyrimais! Ir čia visos knygos esmė - savipagalbos guru klysta, o psichologija kaip mokslas leidžia kritiškiau pažvelgti į žmogų. Štai ir 180 laipsniu priešingas knygos turinys pavadinimui. Beveik kaip mūsų internetiniuose naujienų portaluose...

Jeigu ieškote psichologų kritikos (kurios ir aš ieškojau čia), jos nerasite šioje knygoje. Išskyrus paskutinius 5 puslapius, kuriuose autorius polemizuoja su Fritzu Perlsu (geštalt terapijos pradininku) ir, deja, tą daro kaip visiškas pirmokas.

Knyga dar labiau nuvilianti yra tuo, jog autorius demaskuoja pats save dažnai pereidamas į gyvenimo mokytojo vaidmenį ir suteikdamas patarimus, pamokymus kaip gyventi, galiausiai formuluodamas globalias tiesas apie žmogų, remdamasis savo patirtimi ar asmenine filosofija, o ne evidence based (kas yra vienas iš stipriausių jo ginklų, nukautuojant savipagalbą). Iš knygos turinio ir originalaus jos pavadinimo susidaro įspūdis, jog Pearsall su šiuo veikalu labiau pretenduoja į geriausios savipagalbos knygos vietą nei siekia kritiško apmąstymo.

Nepaisant to, kontraargumentų pernelyg suabsoliutintoms savipagalbos tezėms šioje knygoje rasti galite. 2/5

[Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

In a nutshell, Pearsall tells us to be mindful of the moment, savor all of what makes us human and alive (even the painful parts), focus less on self fulfillment and more on the significant others in our lives, and look at the popular press self help literature with what he calls "contrarian consciousness" but is known more widely as healthy skepticism.

For me this was common sense and I can't say I learned anything new, but sometimes I need to be reminded of common sense. His "contrarian" humor (the kind you might see on a demotivator poster) made it an enjoyable reminder indeed.

[Paul Agapow · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of a disappointment: what promises to be broadside at self help and the misuses of psychology is ultimately an opinion piece. Certainly, studies are cited but the bulk of the text is the author's voice and ideas, with no hint that other people may have different experiences, values or conclusions. A wasted opportunity.

[natalia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Debunking self-help's attitudes was refreshing, however Pearsall did quite a superficial job. His obsession with family values and himself were really boring. And while encouraging the reader to think rationally and critically he himself seems to seriously believe in reincarnation. That alone just killed the book for me.

[Levas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Knygoje yra įdomių ir sveikų įžvalgų.
Autorius pasvertai kritikuoja "savipagalbos" knygų autorius dėl neargumentuotų teiginių ir kritinio įvertinimo stokos. Pats Pearsall kai kada elgiasi panašiai, - neaišku kuo remiasi kai kurie teiginiai - moksliniais tyrimais ar autoriaus asmenine nuomone.

Mažiausiai argumentuoti ir įtikinantys man pasirodė skyriai apie senatvę ir mirtį.

[Algirdas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sveika knyga. Beskaitant dar rekomenduoju pasižiūrėti filmą:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0945356/?...

[Rosita Jurevičienė · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knyga, kurią man rekomendavo psichologijos studentė. Ir tai yra vienareikšmiškai geriausia tokio žanro knyga, kurią teko skaityti. Skaitant šią knygą jautiesi lyg kalbėtum su geru draugu, atvirai aptardamas visas viduje esančias mintis. Nors sutinku, kad knyga daugiau/mažiau paremta asmenine perspektyva, o ne rimtais moksliniais tyrimais (kaip ir daugelis panašaus tipo knygų), ji pateikia kitokį požiūrį į gyvenimą, atmetant įkyriai kartojamas tiesas apie savo potencialo ir savojo ,,aš" išslaisvinimą, egocentrizmą ir norą būti išskirtiniu visų kitų išskirtinių minioje, kuris, jei tikrai bandomas įgyvendinti, paprastai atneša dar daugiau problemų. Ši knyga lyg gaivesnis oro gūsis, paremta suvokimu, kad visi mes - visuomenės dalis, o mūsų savijautai didžiausią įtaką turi ne vaikystės traumos ar kiti skaudūs įvykiai, o santykiai, kuriuos turime su žmonėmis. Kalbėjo stilius yra lengvas, šmaikštus, paprastas skaityti ir suprasti.

[Justas Kupčinskas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dvirprasmiškas pojūtis pabaigus knygą. Viena vertus joje pateikiamas kritiškas požiūris į savipagalbos tiesas ir nors ne su visomis mintimis sutinku, tačiau yra peno pamąstymams ir tuo ši knyga savo tikslą pasiekia. Ypač įsiminė santykio su kitu tema bei bėdos su narcicištiškojo ‘aš’ aukštinimu.
Kita vertus ši knyga yra būtent tokia, kokias kritikuoja autorius: mažai argumentacijos, sujungiami atsitiktiniai dalykai, gausu autoriaus nuomonės. Trumpai tariant, skaitant šia kritikos kupiną knygą svarbu pačiam išlikti kritišku.

[Deimantė Grigaitė · Rating 3 out of 5]

Knygą skaičiau temomis. Joje tikrai galima rasti įdomių ir dėmesio vertų įžvalgų, teiginių ir “mitų” griovimų. Autoriaus propaguojamas požiūris į meilę ir santykius pasiliko viduje, pasirodė artimas. Na bet esmė išlieka kritiškai vertinamas ir aptariamas savipagalbos knygų kultas, paliekantis savotišką sumaištį.

[Alma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anotacija
Remdamasis asmenine patirtimi, autorius šmaikščiai ir kritiškai žvelgia į, atrodo, savaime suprantamas, įprastas tiesas; skatina ir mus sąmoningiau atsirinkti
tai, ką skaitome.

Labai patiko, man padėjo suvokti keletą painių dalykų.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Turns traditional self help philosophies on their head.

[Meem Alif Ayn Alef]

Paul Pearsall: I was afraid this book might never find its way to shelves. Because it takes exactly the opposite view of the ideas that sell millions of books, the famous authors who write them, and the popular psychology that has become the new religion in the United States, I wondered whether any publisher would take the risk of challenging the powerful self-help industry. I had almost given up on submitting the manuscript to a publisher... /// I have learned much from all of you, but perhaps most of all I've learned that I was right in the central premises of this book. None of us can really ever help ourselves. The real power is not personal but interpersonal. The good life is an illusion, but a shared good one is ours for the having when we realize that our problems and strengths do not rest within us. They resonate between us. ― Paul Pearsall, Ph.D. Honolulu, Hawaii, 2005 /// Paul Pearsall in Acknowledgments, The Last Self-Help Book You'll Ever Need: Repress Your Anger, Think Negatively, Be a Good Blamer, and Throttle Your Inner Child

[Bernie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Citing a John F Kennedy quip, Paul Pearsall explains that the enemy of truth is not so much the lie as the more insistent, persistent myth. That’s more or less the focus of Pearsall’s book on what might be called “self-helpism”. We should, he indicates, always question whether just because our intuition tells us that something SOUNDS right, it IS right. For example a multitude of books, videos and seminars purport to show us the way to the good life. So it must be possible right? Pearsal explains that THE good life is a myth, but that if we keep a healthy skepticism and question fashionable nostrums, A good life might just be possible… in fact we might already be living it!

Pearsall helpfully deconstructs many trendy self-helpisms and offers some helpful… well not replacements, but as he calls them, “Ideas to think about”, when it comes to improving our lives. And here is the part I really appreciated: “the more you thoughtfully disagree with me, the more successful I will have been.”

Well, I mostly agreed with his myth-busting, contrarian” ideas to think about” including his central thesis that the quality of our lives is greatly influenced by our ability to savor and be mindful of the here and now. Generally they represent the ever-more-rare common sense. Just a few of his ideas to think about: People are never permanently satisfied and maturity requires recognizing that fact. If it feels good, first think about it. Better results follow a “cool and know” attitude rather than a “hot and go”. Guilt is a noble emotion, for those without it can be monsters. And, our parents don’t deserve all the credit, nor all the blame.

Other Pearsall ideas you may thoughtfully disagree with. For example, he is rightly skeptical of repressed memories/recollections as often implanted and yet is an advocate for reincarnation because of course, the recollections of past lives are eerily accurate. Oh well, not body’s perfect. So while I wouldn’t call this the greatest book, or even a great book, it was well… pretty good…worth reading. And maybe even improving because this is the second time I’ve read this book. I finished it this time on January 1, 2024—“Self Help Day”… And I’ve upped the stars.

[lynne fireheart · Rating 2 out of 5]

With a byline of Repress Your Anger, Think Negatively, Be a Good Blamer, and Throttle Your Inner Child, the author stresses that the entire self-help movement may be more harmful than helpful, and we all need to be more "mindful" as we go through life in order to get to this elusive "happiness".

What's a shame is that this message will get lost int he sea of self-help books out there.

And more of a shame is that there's a need for such a book in the first place.

Covey's 7 Habits was all I needed to get me on the right track ... I found other books I picked up just echoed the same thing... and came to the conclusion they are all saying the same thing ... and ultimately you need to help yourself.

The message in this book is very similar to my own stand about all those self-help / management type books out there ever since I got exposed to them in the course of my work. All these people who sell their angle as the only real true correct angle. While I'd easily see the similarity of messages, see that they are essentially saying the same thing, but in different ways. So in the end it's up to us to pick and choose what seems right to/for us. Dr Pearsall takes it one step further by saying that a lot of the unhappiness in the world today is caused by this self-help movement that convinces everyone that something is wrong with them: his angle is most of us are doing just fine, we just need to be more "mindful" as we go through life. I think it's similar to the "self-aware" angle I use.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

While there were a few things I agreed with (like how many people flock to find gurus to help them with their lives), there were many things I didn’t. While I think only concentrating on self help in life can indeed make one self obsessed, I believe one can easily better various aspects of themselves without giving up on the rest of society. There are, as were stated in the book, many bits of advice in such books that seem to almost separate you from society, but there are many things you can better (not being a perfectionist, not procrastinating, etc) where this seems less of an issue. I can’t rate this book highly because I really didn’t seem to get much from it. It was severely slow moving for me and I can’t remember a great deal of what I read. I think he and I just have very different outlooks on life.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a much-needed antithesis to the self-help movement (and I have read many a self-help book). I like his opposing views to some of the things I, myself, have tried and found unhelpful. However, I don't feel he fully lived up to providing the scientific studies to debunk those self-help beliefs, as he promised he would early in the book. Studies were referred to here and there, but a lot of what he put forth was based on personal experience instead of the objective data promissed. (I haven't read through the Notes section, so maybe I will find the support in there, but I expected it in the main text). In spite of that weakness, I recommend this read, both for anyone who has read a self-help book, or anyone who is a criticofself-help and looking for ammunition.

[Mary Karpel-Jergic · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought that this may have provided a deeper critique of the self-help industry so was disappointed to find it a book offering an alternative opinion towards self-help. Stop looking to build self-esteem - when someone lacks the faculty for self-criticism (high self-esteem) they can ride roughshod over another's feelings or rights without remorse.

I do like the way that he introduces the 'outer' factors that influence people's lives which are always ignored in the self-help literature. An individual's SEP - social economic position is fundamental to lifestyles and attitudes. Income, education and occupational status.

[Jurate Stanaityte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome little book. On shared predicaments, and yearnings for wellness. On value of contrarianism. On love, cancer, and death. Recommended for tormented souls.

"Chemotherapy caused me to lose all my hair. Even most of my
body hair disappeared. When the hair grew back on my head, I
thought it had turned gray. I was wrong. As it turns out, I was
beginning to glow old." -- Brilliant, did I not mention that?

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The very best "self-help" book possible! More of us-help than self-help, and loved dispelling all the myths that the so-called gurus have put out over the years. The various stages of life are thoroughly covered..childhood/marriage/single choice/retirement/ageing and death, and mind-bending ideas about all. Ordered a copy from Amazon after reading this from my local library.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was funny, I'd just given away all of my self-help books and came across this book in Borders. I had to buy it! Great book to read after reading numerous self-help books. It's funny and has some good points to live by when you take your life too seriously.

[Rodrigues Elsa]

"A vida é mais simples quando pensamos menos nela"
Fiquei a meio. Não é a altura ideal para o ler.

[Babete]

( A Vida é mais simples quando pensamos menos nela )

[Istiko · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is great book. Different approach to make you understand your self.

[Lisa Bennett · Rating 2 out of 5]

crap

[Wayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stop waiting to be happy, and be happy already!

[Cindy Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book. Very inspiring and eye opening. How people should live their life everyday. I would recommend everyone to read this.

[Ilya Mrz · Rating 2 out of 5]

its relative

[Joshua Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome book from a noted self-help advocate providing logical, common sense counter-arguments for the growing dependency on self-help materials globally.

[Kristina Čepaitytė · Rating 3 out of 5]

Knyga verta dėmesio, kitoks požiuris į aktualias problemas, populiariąja psichologija.