The Normal Personality: A New Way of Thinking about People [Hardcover]

Steven Reiss PhD (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 28, 2008 | ISBN-10: 0521881064 | ISBN-13: 978-0521881067

Many Psychologists regard personality and mental illness as closely related. The shadow of Freudian analysis looms over modern psychopathology, driving many psychologists to try to understand their clients' personal troubles and personalities using constructs developed to study mental illness. They believe that dark, unconscious mental forces that originated in childhood cause personality traits, personal troubles, and mental illnesses. Steven Reiss thinks problems are a normal part of life. In The Normal Personality, Reiss argues that human beings are naturally intolerant of people who express values significantly different from their own. Because of this intolerance, psychologists and psychiatrists sometimes confuse individuality with abnormality and thus over-diagnose disorders. Reiss shows how normal motives, not anxiety or traumatic childhood experiences, underlie many personality and relationship problems, such as divorce, infidelity, combativeness, workaholism, loneliness, authoritarianism, weak leadership styles, perfectionism, underachievement, arrogance, extravagance, stuffed shirt-ism, disloyalty, disorganization, and overanxiety. Based on a series of scientific studies, this book advances an original scientific theory of psychological needs, values, and personality traits. Reiss shows how different points on motivational arc produce different personality traits and values. He also shows how knowledge of psychological needs and values can be applied in counseling individuals and couples. The author describes new, powerful methods of assessing and predicting motivated behavior in natural environments including corporations, schools, and relationships.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. This latest from Ohio State University psychology professor Reiss (Who Am I?) takes on a good majority of working therapists and academics by positing that "values, not unconscious psychodynamics, drive the human psyche." With vigorous research, analysis and anecdotal evidence, Reiss argues convincingly that by addressing ordinary personal problems with "constructs developed to study mental illnesses," the community has pathologized normal human personality traits and behaviors: "orderliness is a mild form of Obsessive-Compulsive disorder; unhappiness is a mild form of depression." Reiss's model, "motivation analysis," sees problems as the result of frustrated goals or values in the here and now, rather than hidden reserves of anxiety or anger. One's mix of goals and values can be determined and analyzed using the Reiss Motivation Profile (RMP), based on what Reiss argues is the most complete taxonomy of personality yet developed. Extensive empirical research has led Reiss to identify sixteen basic desires (including acceptance, curiosity, family, power and tranquility) that, together, provide an accurate personality portrait. Reiss makes an accessible case for his approach's superior ability to understand problems and predict behavior. It should provide food for thought for anyone in the mental health community, as well as those who feel they've been underserved or misunderstood by traditional psychotherapy.
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Review

"...In a time when children, and even household pets, swallow Prozac, Reiss revives a neglected diagnosis for worrywarts, wallflowers, daydreamers, pessimists, and eccentrics alike: normal. He broadens normality by outlining how abnormal behaviors can arise when life motives are obstructed or personal values contradicted. Reiss lists how various combinations of 16 basic desires lead to dilemmas that eventually bring people to counseling. He offers a way to manage personal problems, without cracking the medicine cabinet or the skeleton closet."
--Science News


"...this book advances a scientific theory of psychological needs, values and personality traits. Reiss' research shows how the motivational spectrum produces different personality traits and values, and how that correlates to the way we handle/deal our personal relationships. "
--Lenore Skomal, divorce360.com


"The Normal Personality: A New Way of Thinking About People, Steven Reiss (Cambridge University Press): Good news: You're normal. Despite the fact that every lesbian you know is on Prozac or in therapy, Reiss insists most of us aren't crazy. Instead, he contends that an over reliance on Freudian analysis led modern psychopathology to evaluate normal personal problems using constructs developed from studies of mental illness. Rather than unconscious mental forces originating in childhood, Reiss points to 16 basic human desires lead that lead to personal issues. Not immune from the natural human intolerance of people expressing significantly different values; Reiss argues, psychologists and psychiatrists often confuse individuality with abnormality and over-diagnose disorders."
--Curve Magazine


"...it offers a new view of the "normal" personality, one firmly ensconced in the study of values and motivations...an intriguing account of why human conflict, particularly the romantic variety, occurs with such regularity...Recommended..."
--D.S. Dunn, Moravian College, CHOICE

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 212 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (January 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521881064
• ISBN-13: 978-0521881067
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,263,612 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why knowing who you are is essential, July 2, 2008

By 

Andrew Riddiford (Berlin, Germany) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Normal Personality: A New Way of Thinking about People (Hardcover)

The Reiss Profile is still little-known in the academic world, let alone by the general public. Yet it is starting to make waves.
This book is an excellent introduction to this cutting-edge assessment tool, and to the philosophy that underpins it.
Using this tool one can quickly obtain external confirmation about our innermost motivations, and how exceptional they are in comparison to the general public.
Buy the book and take the test!
Then take the results seriously!
Andrew (Mo) Riddiford (2008 Amazon best-selling co-author of "Upping the Down Side")

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We took this book as a basis for our depression remedy approach..., March 12, 2009

By 

Iwanska "Iwanjka" (Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Normal Personality: A New Way of Thinking about People (Hardcover)

I can unfortunately say that I have experience in the 'conventional' psychiatric ways of thinking. I did a serious suicide attempt a half year ago, after being diagnosed depressive (and about six other 'illnesses' in a six month period).

Already at the beginning of the therapy, I had the feeling that my situation and the things the therapist tried, did not match. Would not lead to relief. The book of Reiss gives a clear insight in the reason why.

I strongly believe that not understanding or describing my character in a sound manner, in combination with a wrong remedy approach (talk-pills), forced me into committing suicide. How can a depression remedy process work, when already at the beginning there was no proper modeling and understanding of the main character?

My case stands not on its own, sadly. Yesterday's news: more ten people killed in German by a youngster who was `treated' for depression. Off course we cannot say that this happened due to a improper method, but we feel there are too many cases pointing in the same direction: treatment for depression does often not work, and sometimes even lead to more destruction.

I joined a group of 'free thinking people' who want to turn their painful experience into good things. We therefore started to create a depression diagnosis and curing method. And we took the Reiss' method as a basis instrument for the analysis phase. There are mainly two reasons for this:
1. Reiss' starting point is that people 'in trouble' are mostly not ill or disturbed (instead of assuming an illness with a certain curing method attached, mainly based on chemicals).
2. The idea that everybody has a specific character, which form the key to way they got stuck, and form the key on how to resolve the depressive situation.

You are invited to read more on the 'Reiss-HumanSound Depression Remedy Approach' at our website: [...], or Google at 'spirilogic Reiss and humansound'. We are looking for people in the field of mental health who want to help further developing and implementing a sounding cure for depressive people...

So: read the book and put it in practice!
Iwanjka, SpiriLogic Foundation

PS: The link to the depression remedy approach, based on Reiss book (copy it into your browser):

[...]

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a breakthrough in (positive)-psychological findings, September 30, 2009

By 

Johnny Tujeehut (Curacao NA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Normal Personality: A New Way of Thinking about People (Paperback)

From the first moment I began reading DR. Reiss first book "WHO AM I" I got fascinated in his theory of motivational-profiles.
I have a academic degree in "adult-education" and am a professional trainer since 2000.
I have implemented DR. Reiss findings within my training-program. People open up and feel comfortable when you help them understand their profile and why their behaviour is characterized in their peculiar manner.
The second book "the normal personality" has given me more assurance as to why my "methods" are based on reliable assumptions; from my own research viewpoint.
Both books are part of my background-documents.
They need to be studied over and over again so to sharpen my own approach with the people I help.