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Active: 1439 users

Psychology/Sociology Book Recommendations!

Blogs > StarN
Post a Reply
StarN
Profile Blog Joined November 2004
United States2587 Posts
May 18 2009 18:25 GMT
#1
I want to read more psychology books. I finished "Flow" by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi [Cheek-sent-me-high]. It is quite possibly the most life changing book I've ever read. It has improved every aspect of my life, from work ethic to my ideas of friendship and love. I highly recommend "Flow" to everybody, although it is not meant for everybody. I'm currently reading "The Evolving Self" also by Csikszentmihalyi. I'm hoping after I finish that, I can start on a social psychology book (or sociology), if you have any recommendations I'd love to hear them!

Specifically I am interested in understanding how to get optimal responses from the people I interact with. Whether it be friends, family, co-workers, bosses, teachers, etc. But really any book on the subject I believe I will find helpful.

Retired BW Noob
Polemarch
Profile Joined August 2005
Canada1564 Posts
May 18 2009 18:34 GMT
#2
These aren't exactly what you're asking about, but...

Steven Pinker's How the Mind Works or The Blank Slate will help you understand human nature (evolutionary psychology).

Brafman's Sway: The irresistable pull of irrational behavior is also good, describing a number of ways people act irrational.

If you're looking to optimize your interpersonal skills, I'd recommend something that focuses on self-improvement rather than more general psychology. Stephen Covey's 7 Habits is good. Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People is also good.
I BELIEVE IN CAPITAL LETTER PUNISHMENT!!!!!
Cygnus
Profile Joined February 2004
United States851 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-05-18 18:42:04
May 18 2009 18:35 GMT
#3
Not a book, but if you haven't seen this you may find it has some interesting information. http://changingminds.org/index.htm
samachking
Profile Blog Joined August 2007
Bahrain4949 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-05-20 06:13:45
May 18 2009 18:36 GMT
#4
The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, a analysis of human foolery and a spontaneous culture. Magnificent book, lets you see the foolery of mankind from a different perspective. If you did not read it, please do, for its a collaborative guide to our self identity as a race.

Edit: Also try:
Predictably Irrational
Stumbling on Happiness
But in all seriousness, one of the best ways to understand psychology and man is through literature, just take into perspective the narrator life and surroundings and timeline and you will understand a whole lot about society at that time and the moral dilemmas of people at that time. Dostoevsky does a great job of establishing psychology in his psych novels, hell, Nietzche himself said the only psychologist I have learnt from is Dostoevsky, his short stories are magnificent and so is The Brothers Karamazov. Marquez has also a magical surreal grip over the human character and anthropology, check some of his novels out.
"And then Earthlings discovered tools. Suddenly agreeing with friends could be a form of suicide or worse. But agreements went on, not for the sake of common sense, or decency, or self preservation, but for friendliness."
freelander
Profile Blog Joined December 2004
Hungary4707 Posts
May 18 2009 18:37 GMT
#5
That name is not that hard to pronounce

Also, Mihály should be pronounced as Me-High :D
And all is illuminated.
StarN
Profile Blog Joined November 2004
United States2587 Posts
May 18 2009 18:41 GMT
#6
On May 19 2009 03:37 freelander wrote:
That name is not that hard to pronounce

Also, Mihály should be pronounced as Me-High :D

maybe cause you're both Hungarian!

For the longest time I was saying "Zik Zent Me Hall-E" Until someone made fun of me for it xD
Retired BW Noob
freelander
Profile Blog Joined December 2004
Hungary4707 Posts
May 18 2009 18:42 GMT
#7
rofl
And all is illuminated.
StarN
Profile Blog Joined November 2004
United States2587 Posts
May 18 2009 18:45 GMT
#8
On May 19 2009 03:36 samachking wrote:
The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, a analysis of human foolery and a spontaneous culture. Magnificent book, lets you see the foolery of mankind from a different perspective. If you did not read it, please do, for its a collaborative guide to our self identity as a race.

Edit: Also try:
Predictability Irrational
Stumbling on Happiness
But in all seriousness, one of the best ways to understand psychology and man is through literature, just take into perspective the narrator life and surroundings and timeline and you will understand a whole lot about society at that time and the moral dilemmas of people at that time. Dostoevsky does a great job of establishing psychology in his psych novels, hell, Nietzche himself said the only psychologist I have learnt from is Dostoevsky, his short stories are magnificent and so is The Brothers Karamazov. Marquez has also a magical surreal grip over the human character and anthropology, check some of his novels out.

I like your thoughts there! Literature can unfold the scientific/rational mind in different ways that essays/research findings can not. I'll keep that in mind
Retired BW Noob
StarN
Profile Blog Joined November 2004
United States2587 Posts
May 18 2009 18:49 GMT
#9
On May 19 2009 03:34 Polemarch wrote:
These aren't exactly what you're asking about, but...

Steven Pinker's How the Mind Works or The Blank Slate will help you understand human nature (evolutionary psychology).

Brafman's Sway: The irresistable pull of irrational behavior is also good, describing a number of ways people act irrational.

If you're looking to optimize your interpersonal skills, I'd recommend something that focuses on self-improvement rather than more general psychology. Stephen Covey's 7 Habits is good. Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People is also good.


Those first two books both seem very interesting!

As far as the Covey and the Carnegie go, I never found that "self-help" books (in the sense that you'd find them in the self help section rather the psychology section), helped me much, because I spent much of my high school years reading Tony Robbins, as well as the Covey and the Carnegie book. They generally seem to have the same message as the positive psychologists do, but the way the positive psychologists break things down and conduct experiments/observations allows me to understand things more deeply.
Retired BW Noob
Foucault
Profile Blog Joined May 2009
Sweden2826 Posts
May 18 2009 19:07 GMT
#10
Foucault: Madness and civilization
Goffman: Total institutions

There are so many fields in modern day psychology umm.....I'm not sure on actual books though, cuz I've only read course literature. "Psychology" by Passer & Smith is awesome though
I know that deep inside of you there's a humongous set of testicles just waiting to pop out. Let 'em pop bro. //////////////////// AKA JensOfSweden // Lee Yoon Yeol forever.
freelander
Profile Blog Joined December 2004
Hungary4707 Posts
May 18 2009 19:31 GMT
#11
Ok you got me interested, I will read Flow
And all is illuminated.
Frits
Profile Joined March 2003
11782 Posts
May 18 2009 19:55 GMT
#12
Mastering social psychology
Robert A. Baron, Donn Byrne & Nyla R. Branscombe

Very scientific though, not really a self help book, mostly for studying.
poilord
Profile Blog Joined January 2007
Germany3252 Posts
May 18 2009 22:37 GMT
#13
Have you read some of Cialdini's work yet? I'm a complete noob when it comes to psychology, but I've read some of his books and found them very interesting.
Salv
Profile Blog Joined December 2007
Canada3083 Posts
May 19 2009 00:26 GMT
#14
I'd recommend "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" by Oliver Sacks & "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell.
ero
Profile Joined April 2009
United States66 Posts
May 19 2009 13:17 GMT
#15
Stumbling on Happiness is the closest thing I've read to Flow in that it's a "pop psychology" book that manages to be self-help without intending to be self-help.
Pika Chu
Profile Blog Joined August 2005
Romania2510 Posts
May 19 2009 16:00 GMT
#16
There are lots i can recommend, but what do you want exactly? It seems that you don't want psychology/sociology books but rather self improvement books or practical psychology/sociology books.

A very good book that you'll like if you liked the Flow is Ivan Ognev and Vladimir Russev's book: The psychological security. The title is a direct translation from romanian so it might not be it, i do not know it's name in english version.

Anyway, it's an awesome book, one of the best reads i've ever had, really an innovation.
They first ignore you. After they laugh at you. Next they will fight you. In the end you will win.
Sky
Profile Blog Joined July 2004
Jordan812 Posts
Last Edited: 2009-05-20 07:37:16
May 20 2009 07:35 GMT
#17
On May 19 2009 03:25 StarN wrote:
Specifically I am interested in understanding how to get optimal responses from the people I interact with. Whether it be friends, family, co-workers, bosses, teachers, etc.


How to Win Friends & Influence People ....by: Dale Carnegie

Online copy available at Scrib'd
...jumping into cold water whenever I get the chance.
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