The Myth of Laziness [Hardcover]

Mel Levine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 31, 2002

How many times have you heard a teacher say that your child has tremendous potential "if only he'd just apply himself" or "if only she'd work just a little harder"? How often have you said the same thing to your son or daughter? Or perhaps you have a coworker who can't seem to finish anything; his reports are never in on time, or her projects are always behind schedule. No matter what excuses you hear, you suspect that laziness is the real reason for your colleague's low productivity.

Almost no one is actually lazy, says Dr. Mel Levine, author of the #1 national bestseller A Mind at a Time. Low productivity -- whether in school or on the job -- is almost always caused by a genuine problem, a neuro-developmental dysfunction. Despite this, untold numbers of people have been stigmatized by unfair accusations of laziness, many of them adults who still carry emotional scars from their school days.

In The Myth of Laziness Dr. Levine shows how we can spot the neurodevelopmental dysfunctions that may cause "output failure," as he calls it, whether in school or in the workplace. Dr. Levine identifies seven forms of dysfunction that obstruct output. Drawing on his years of clinical experience he describes eight people -- children, adolescents, and adults -- he has worked with who exhibited one or another of these problems. He shows how identifying the problem can make all the difference, leading to a course of corrective action rather than to accusations of laziness and moral failure. For example, a child who is unable to plan or to think ahead, who cannot consider different methods of accomplishing something or has difficulty making choices may wait until it is too late to complete an assignment or may act impulsively, creating a pattern of bad judgments and careless errors. Dr. Levine explains how such a child can be helped to learn how to plan ahead and weigh various alternatives. This sort of problem, if untreated, can persist into adulthood, where it can wreak far more havoc than in the classroom.

The Myth of Laziness explains the significance of writing as a key barometer of productivity during the school years. Because writing brings together so many neurodevelopmental functions -- such as memory, motor control, organization, and verbalization of ideas -- it can provide crucial clues to pinpoint the sources of output failure.

With its practical advice and its compassionate tone, The Myth of Laziness shows parents how to nurture their children's strengths and improve their classroom productivity. Most important, it shows how correcting these problems in childhood will help children live a fulfilling and productive adult life.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina Medical School, Mel Levine received acclaim for his previous book, A Mind at a Time, which argued that children’s different learning capabilities demand diverse teaching strategies. In The Myth of Laziness, Levine isolates another group of kids--so-called "lazy" children who aren’t working up to their potential in school--and explores the causes of their low performance. Levine scoffs at the perception that any child is lazy, stating that "everybody yearns to be productive." These children, according to Levine, are simply experiencing "output failure" due to different neuro-developmental weaknesses.

Levine produces case studies of seven children and adults who have been labeled lazy and identifies internal sources that are undermining their production. Many of their output issues revolve around difficulties with writing, as is the case with Russell, who is hindered by his low motor skills, or Clint, whose long-term memory lapses prevent him from expressing himself well. Other weaknesses, such as poor oral language ability, mental energy dysfunction, poor idea generation, and organizational problems, plague the individuals in these case studies. Levine talks briefly about external factors that contribute to low output, such as socioeconomic background, family life, and negative role models. In the profile for Scott Murray, Levine even has the humility to admit that he was unable to reach this young man. External influences--namely, Scott’s privileged upbringing--were too pervasive in causing his output failure.

The last few chapters are devoted to suggestions for what parents and teachers can do to foster productive output in their children and students and how to detect a problem that is internal rather than environmental. Tips on how to cultivate writing skills, set up an organized home office, and assist with homework are aimed at parents while teachers are encouraged to consider individuality among their students’ learning styles. Finally, the appendices offer two worksheets to help students plan stories and reports. Two additional worksheets help pinpoint whether output problems are the cause of poor schoolwork. This is a valuable book that will give parents some guidance in solving their children’s productivity issues and preparing their children successfully for adulthood. --Cristina Vaamonde

From Publishers Weekly

Pediatrician Levine, a developmental-behavioral expert, offers theories on why it's so hard for some teenagers-even bright ones-to succeed in school. "Often these individuals absorb and process information well; they learn but they don't produce," he says, adding, "people say glibly that they are not `living up to their potential.' " Levine prefers the term "output failure" over "laziness." In a series of case studies, he discusses the biological, neurological and psychological factors that may be responsible for "output failure." He focuses on kids challenged by oral and written communication; he believes parents and educators must pay attention to different learning styles rather than simply label a child as lazy. Even fidgeting, according to Levine, may be a plus: "Isn't it odd that kids get criticized for being fidgety when they should be commended for implementing a strategy that significantly elevates their attention?" Despite the thought-provoking theories and discussions of problems such as impairment in the generation of ideas and memory difficulties, only the final chapter, "Cultivating and Restoring Output," offers a broad range of strategies that can be used to remedy such troubles. Still, the advice-e.g., create a home office for kids, document time spent and level of output, adjust expectations-is on target and should help struggling parents.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (December 31, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074321367X
• ISBN-13: 978-0743213677
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #70,384 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #76 in Books > Parenting & Relationships > Reference

More About the Author

Mel Levine, M.D., is professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina Medical School and director of its Clinical Center for the Study of Development and Learning. He is the founder and cochairman of All Kinds of Minds, a nonprofit institute for the understanding of differences in learning, and the author of two previous national best-selling books, A Mind at a Time and The Myth of Laziness. He and his wife, Bambi, live on Sanctuary Farm in North Carolina.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book but often repetitive, January 15, 2003

By 

David Casey (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Myth of Laziness (Hardcover)

First of all let me say that this is a very good book and the only reason I gave it 4 stars is because at least half of information in this book has already been covered in Dr. Levine's previous book "A Mind at a Time". If you have not read it this book is a great choice. If you have you might find "The Myth of Laziness" redundant at times.

The central message of the book is exactly the same as in "A Mind at A Time" namely that academic non-performance is a result of many distinct factors and cannot be adequately addressed as long as people trivialize it as "laziness" or "dumbness".

Levine identifies several specific cognitive deficiencies that can result in non-performance: attention, memory, language, spatial ordering, sequential ordering, motor, higher thinking, and social thinking. Armed with correct diagnosis of the underlying causes the teacher can tailor an effective individual approach to help a student who would otherwise be doomed to languish in remedial education classes with all the stigma of retardation that's attached to it.

If you are just curious about the research in this field you would probably be better off with "A Mind At A Time". If you are a practicing education professional you might benefit from reading both books.

47 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Too bad you can't clone Mel Levine's genius, July 11, 2003

By 

Graham H. Seibert (Kiev, Ukraine) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Myth of Laziness (Hardcover)

This book is organized as a series of case studies building up to three chapters of recommendations.

Levine's insight into children is stunning. It is why people come from all over the country to see him in North Carolina. I am sure he wishes as ardently as anybody that his genius were transferrable. While this book gives one an appreciation of his methods, it also highlights how subjective the judgments really are. Any parent who has been through the rounds of physical therapists, speech therapists, child psychologists, ritalin, Prozac, tutors, school counsellors, etc. etc. will know that not all experts have the same powers of perception, and they certainly don't all agree.

I of course love the advice with which I agree. Turn off the TV! Have the kids read. Practice writing. He gives some very concrete and useful advice on how to do this... forms you can copy and suggest that your child's teachers hand out with assignments.

As another reviewer suggests, examining the unique balance of skills and weaknesses in each child, and tailoring life and learning plans to meet their special needs, takes a tremendous amount of resources. Public school classroom teachers charged with 35 young minds, or a modestly paid and trained counsellor responsible for a whole school cannot possibly be expected to handle every child's issues.

There are always alternatives -- many, confusing and conflicting -- for parents with the money and time to investigate them. The sad reality is that society just can't devote enough resources to give all kids the attention that would benefit them. How to apply Levine's insights and techniques to as many kids as possible within what voters are willing to spend is an interesting question.

129 of 143 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Addresses the very Real problem of laziness...., January 7, 2003

By 

John Zxerce "[e-mail]" (Colorado ^^^) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Myth of Laziness (Hardcover)

Mel Levine's first book `A Mind at a Time' succeeded in taking a common sense approach to the important subject of learning types. This book does the same thing, but focuses on one specific functional challenge - that of a lack of productivity.

1. Levine continues to assert that different learning styles require different teaching strategies. As a result, he does not believe that any child is inherently lazy. While this is likely true for young children, it does not seem to be necessarily the case for adolescents or adults. (Levine would disagree) That is, laziness can be learned and even chosen later in life. In fact, I often find myself choosing the way of the sloth - to my own frustration and embarrassment.

2. Levine identifies a number of causes of low performance. Some of these are internal like organizational problems, poor ability to verbally express, or poor writing skills. However, these types of things don't seem to be `causes' as much as they do `results' or `symptoms'. He does go on to briefly discuss external factors like socioeconomic background, family life, and negative role models. Now these seem to be more root-causes - however, he doesn't spend much time on these, which I found to be disappointing.

3. The thing that I do like about Levine is that he develops suggestions for what parents can do to encourage productive output in children. Additionally, he provides objective means for identifying if the problem is internal or environmental. I happen to believe the vast majority of people fall into the latter category - at least as the initial influence. However, it seems laziness becomes a choice as well. So, there's a bit of controversy here - which makes the book interesting and relevant.

4. Lastly, Levine doesn't leave the reader in an ethereal and contemplative world, but brings problem solving down to a real-life level by providing worksheets, which assist children in planning stories and reports - to get their minds working.

5. It seems it's so necessary to start fostering creativity, activity, and expression at a young age. Additionally, abundant parental praise related to accomplishments is also very needed. In short, this is a good book, however it would have been helpful if Levine had focused more in the area of relationships.