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Freudulent Encounters (for the Jung at Heart): Still More Readings from the Journal of Polymorphous Perversity
The Journal of Polymorphous Perversity - an irreverent, satirical lampoon of psychology - has entertained its readers for over nine years. This book brings together the best and latest from this offbeat journal, including essays such as How to be a Good Psychotherapy Patient; Life to Go: The Relationship of Country Music to Psychopathology; A Twelve-Step Program for the Dead; and Short-Term Cognitive Therapy for Authors of Rejected Manuscripts.
191 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1992
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March 28, 2010
Revel in the frivolity! Another dubious collection from the even more dubious Journal of Polymorphous Perversity. Glenn C. Ellenbogen Ph.D. is the Marc Abrams of the experimental psychology community and the JPP is their Journal of Improbable Research.
Although the hilarity quotient is not as uniformly high as in its two predecessors ( Oral Sadism and the Vegetarian Personality and The Primal Whimper), this collection has some gems. A few highlights:
"Life to Go: The Relationship of Country Music to Psychopathology"
"The GONIF test to determine the integrity of prospective and current employees". Here are a couple of sample test questions (pick the alternative which best describes your opinion):
1a. Toxic waste dumping would be a cost-effective way to hold down third world population growth
1b. Cocaine improves concentration on the job
2a. I would enjoy the job of operating the euthanasia machine at the pound
2b. I personally know that AIDS is not as contagious as people think
You won't want to miss the Journal's new perspective on phrenology, with the following opening sentences:
Since the dawn of humankind, members of the species have used blunt instruments to change the mental processes of their fellow humans. This primitive manifestation of what the authors call "cranial recalibration" ultimately developed into the science of phrenology.
The glossaries "what X says --- what X means", for X = "your thesis advisor", "your dissertation committee", X = "reference letter" are amusing, though it's likely you've already seen some version of them on the internet.
A welcome addition is the final section, addressing contemporary issues in psychology. There is useful advice for the "beneficiaries" of deinstitutionalization programs (hint: think bus and train terminals), marketing strategies for the counseling professional and an exciting array of proposed products and services likely to be of interest to psychologists, psychiatrists and their clients. Designer clothing for the manic personality, Sybyline makeup products for the multi-faceted and multiple personality woman, a 1-900 number featuring a recording that provides clients with full details of all current government conspiracies, a crown of thorns for clients with religious delusions. The list goes on.
Glenn Ellenbogen continues to mine the rich vein of academic psychology for comedy gold.
Although the hilarity quotient is not as uniformly high as in its two predecessors ( Oral Sadism and the Vegetarian Personality and The Primal Whimper), this collection has some gems. A few highlights:
"Life to Go: The Relationship of Country Music to Psychopathology"
"The GONIF test to determine the integrity of prospective and current employees". Here are a couple of sample test questions (pick the alternative which best describes your opinion):
1a. Toxic waste dumping would be a cost-effective way to hold down third world population growth
1b. Cocaine improves concentration on the job
2a. I would enjoy the job of operating the euthanasia machine at the pound
2b. I personally know that AIDS is not as contagious as people think
You won't want to miss the Journal's new perspective on phrenology, with the following opening sentences:
Since the dawn of humankind, members of the species have used blunt instruments to change the mental processes of their fellow humans. This primitive manifestation of what the authors call "cranial recalibration" ultimately developed into the science of phrenology.
The glossaries "what X says --- what X means", for X = "your thesis advisor", "your dissertation committee", X = "reference letter" are amusing, though it's likely you've already seen some version of them on the internet.
A welcome addition is the final section, addressing contemporary issues in psychology. There is useful advice for the "beneficiaries" of deinstitutionalization programs (hint: think bus and train terminals), marketing strategies for the counseling professional and an exciting array of proposed products and services likely to be of interest to psychologists, psychiatrists and their clients. Designer clothing for the manic personality, Sybyline makeup products for the multi-faceted and multiple personality woman, a 1-900 number featuring a recording that provides clients with full details of all current government conspiracies, a crown of thorns for clients with religious delusions. The list goes on.
Glenn Ellenbogen continues to mine the rich vein of academic psychology for comedy gold.
Displaying 1 of 1 review