Pollster Mark Penn argues that the biggest trends in America are microtrends, the smaller trends that go unnoticed or ignored. One million people can create new market for a business, spark a social movement, or effect political change. In 1996, a microtrend identified by Penn ("soccer moms") helped re-elect Clinton. Now, Penn identifies the new microtrends sweeping the world, from Extreme Commuters and Working Retired to Old New Dads, from Bourgeois And Bankrupt to Uptown Tattooed. Highlighting everything from religion to politics, from leisure pursuits to relationships, this book will take the reader deep into the worlds of polling, targeting, and psychographic analysis.--From publisher description.

Argues that couples must recognize the polarity between masculinity and femininity in order to sustain a mutually satisfying marriage, in a guide the draws on examples from the author's call-in radio show.

"A growing up guidebook for young boys"--

Through the synthesis of psychoanalytic theory, literature, interviews, and personal experiences, the author analyzes the losses of childhood, youth, impossible expectations, and loved ones and demonstrates what one must give up in order to continue to grow

From political wunderkind and former army intelligence officer Jason Kander comes a haunting, powerful memoir about politics, PTSD, impossible choices--and how sometimes walking away from the chance of a lifetime can be the greatest decision of all.

One of the most popular Sociology books of all time has been thoroughly updated to examine how McDonaldization has roared into the 21st century. The McDonaldization of Society, Revised New Century Edition discusses how McDonaldization and the broader process of globalization (in a new Chapter 8), are spreading more widely and more deeply into various social institutions such as education, medicine, the criminal justice system, and more. This Revised New Century Edition provides many new, relevant examples from recent events and contemporary popular culture, including the ever-increasing global proliferation of McDonald′s and other fast food franchises, shopping malls, and similar commercial entities. Their impact is examined in the post-September 11, 2001 era.

This classic text is a comparative political study, based on extensive survey data that defined and analysed the Greek concept of civic virtue and culture: the political and social attitudes that are crucial to the success of modern democracy in Western nations.

From the author of The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life , Stigma is analyzes a person’s feelings about himself and his relationship to people whom society calls “normal.” Stigma is an illuminating excursion into the situation of persons who are unable to conform to standards that society calls normal. Disqualified from full social acceptance, they are stigmatized individuals. Physically deformed people, ex-mental patients, drug addicts, prostitutes, or those ostracized for other reasons must constantly strive to adjust to their precarious social identities. Their image of themselves must daily confront and be affronted by the image which others reflect back to them. Drawing extensively on autobiographies and case studies, sociologist Erving Goffman analyzes the stigmatized person’s feelings about himself and his relationship to “normals” He explores the variety of strategies stigmatized individuals employ to deal with the rejection of others, and the complex sorts of information about themselves they project. In Stigma the interplay of alternatives the stigmatized individual must face every day is brilliantly examined by one of America’s leading social analysts.

"Payoff investigates the true nature of motivation, our partial blindness to the way it works, and how we can bridge this gap. With studies that range from Intel to a kindergarten classroom, Ariely digs deep to find the root of motivation--how it works and how we can use this knowledge to approach important choices in our own lives. Along the way, he explores intriguing questions such as: Can giving employees bonuses harm productivity? Why is trust so crucial for successful motivation? What are our misconceptions about how to value our work? How does your sense of your mortality impact your motivation?"--Baker & Taylor.

Many of us are being misled. Claiming to know the “pals” of presidential aspirants, dark secrets about public officials, and hidden causes of the current economic crisis, those who spread rumors know precisely what they are doing. They are sometimes able to derail political candidates, injure companies and reputations, even damage democratic governance. And in the era of the Internet, they know more about manipulating the mechanics of false rumors—social cascades, group polarization, and biased assimilation—than you do. They also know that the presumed correctives—publishing balanced information, issuing corrections, and trusting to the marketplace of ideas—do not always work. A pioneer in the effort “to design regulation around the ways people behave” ( The Wall Street Journal ), Cass R. Sunstein uses examples from the real world and from behavioral studies to explain why certain rumors spread like wildfire and what we can do to avoid being misled.

"From Academy Award-nominated producer Brian Grazer and acclaimed business journalist Charles Fishman comes a brilliantly entertaining peek into the weekly "curiosity conversations" that have inspired Grazer to create some of America's favorite and iconic movies and television shows--from 24 to A Beautiful Mind. For decades, film and TV producer Brian Grazer has scheduled a weekly "curiosity conversation" with an accomplished stranger. From scientists to spies, and adventurers to business leaders, Grazer has met with anyone willing to answer his questions for a few hours. These informal discussions sparked the creative inspiration behind many of Grazer's movies and TV shows, including Splash, 24, A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13, Arrested Development, 8 Mile, J. Edgar, and many others. A Curious Mind is a brilliantly entertaining, fascinating, and inspiring homage to the power of inquisitiveness and the ways in which it deepens and improves us. Whether you're looking to improve your management style at work or you want to become a better romantic partner, this book--and its lessons on the power of curiosity--can change your life"--

It’s never too late—to reclaim your creativity, recapture long-lost dreams, and embark on an exciting new life! New York Times bestselling author Barbara Sher has transformed the lives of millions with her phenomenally successful books, workshops, and television appearances. Now, in a provocative new book, she offers a bold new strategy for creating a “second life”—no matter what your age! Combining step-by-step exercise with motivational techniques, she reminds you of the dreams you abandoned along the path to adulthood, providing all the tools you need to weave those aspirations into a richly textured, rewarding new life. According to Sher, it’s never too late to start over. In fact, life’s “second half” is the perfect time to do so, when dreams for the future and experiences of the past finally come together. So don’t wait. Discover: • How to make life’s built-in “time limit” work for you • How to identify—and overcome—the illusions that stand between you and your dreams • Which of your “regrets” can point the way to a more rewarding life • How to rediscover the inspired, enthusiastic adventurer you wanted to be before you became the responsible adult you had to be • Dozens of ways to recapture your freedom, reclaim a sense of wonder, and embark on an amazing new beginning

"All of us worry about something, big or small, every day. But much of the emotional misery we feel is an overreaction, and it can be significantly reduced, using the techniques you'll find in this landmark book. World renowned therapist Dr. Albert Ellis, who created Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), believed that anger, anxiety and depression are not only unnecessary, they're unethical, because when we allow ourselves to become emotionally upset, we're being unfair and unjust to ourselves. Thinking negative thoughts is a choice we can refuse to make. Applying the proven, time-tested principles of REBT is a simple, logical way to find true mental health and happiness. REBT acknowledges the power of emotions, but it also helps us understand which feelings are healthy and which are not. This classic book teaches you how to: retrain your brain to focus on the positive aspects of your life and face each obstacle without unnecessary despair *Control your emotional destiny *Refuse to upset yourself about upsetting yourself *Solve practical problems as well as emotional problems *Conquer the tyranny of shoulds ... and much more, providing all the tools you need to take back your life-and your happiness. If you can refuse to make yourself miserable, you're that much closer to making yourself happy-every day.--Publisher's description.

Status Anxiety

Through his years of intensive work consulting to companies including Procter & Gamble, Sony, Toyota, Microsoft, Ford and Ernst & Young, with his firm The Energy Project, Schwartz has developed a powerful program for changing the way we are working that greatly boosts our engagement and our satisfication with our work and increases our performance. In this book he marshalls a wide range of powerful evidence from business research and psychology that shows that the current model of work is not only not optimal, it is specfically counter-productive because it saps us of our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual energy. In order for us to perform at our best, we must make a set of key changes in our work lives -- and in order to develop the full potential of their work force, our managers and companies must institute changes that will provide us with the regular physical renewal, emotional reward, mental focus and stimulation; and sense of purpose and significance that we need.

חדשים אפריל 2011Contents: Meeting two people on the autistic spectrum --Changing prevalence of autism through history --Measuring the autism spectrum --Making the diagnosis --Psychology of autism and Asperger syndrome --Biology of autism and Asperger syndrome --Intervention, education, and treatment.

Roberto Assagioli was born in Venice 1888. He was educated as a medical doctor and psychiatrist, coming under the influence of the Freudian school. In 1910 he began to formulate the concept of psychosynthesis, arguing not that psychoanalysis was an incorrect approach, but that it was incomplete. Since those early days, he has spent his professional life elaborating a generous and comprehensive psychology of man that includes the soul as well the instinctual drives. More than a theory, it is also a practical, working method that includes many approaches to personal growth currently entering the mainstreams of psychology and education...meditation, encounter groups, inner-imagery, and several dozen more. These methods are unified around the notion of a self at the core of each individual that can direct the harmonious development of all aspects of the personality. Beyond that personal harmony lies access to higher realism...creativity, transpersonal experience, and spiritual development.

Goldensohn was the prison psychiatrist at Nuremberg from January to June 1946. He conducted interviews with the 21 prisoners there at the time, as well as with defense and prosecution witnesses. His accounts of these talks were preserved in notebooks and have never been published before. The book is divided into two sections: "Defendants" (19 interviews) and "Witnesses" (14 interviews). The texts reveal much about the mentality and motives of the Nazi leaders. The interviewees discuss Hitler and various aspects of Nazism. While their remarks are sometimes self-serving (e.g. denials of being antisemitic), they often disclose prejudice and other aspects of the psychology of Nazism. The antisemitism of the defendants is disclosed in the interviews with Göring and Streicher. Persecution of Jews is discussed in interviews with witnesses: Rudolf Höss, the commandant of Auschwitz; Rudolf Mildner, the Nazi leader in Denmark; and Otto Ohlendorf, the commander of Einsatzgruppe D. Pp. vii-xxix contain the introduction by Robert Gellately.

A leading meditation teacher and the co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society offers “an intelligent, thorough, startlingly clear” overview of Buddhism and Western vipassana practice” ( Los Angeles Times ) In Insight Meditation , Joseph Goldstein provides an overview of Buddhist practice and its context generally while focusing on vipassana meditation specifically. He covers what the path itself is composed of, how to practice, what freeing the mind is all about, how karma works, the connection between psychology and dharma practice, and a look at what selflessness really is. The concluding chapter is a detailed exploration of how to practice in the world, touching on topics like the art of communication, family relationships, work and livelihood, dying, and how to really be of benefit to others.