Psychology And The Economic Mind: Cognitive Processes and Conceptualization [Hardcover]

Robert Leahy PhD (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 082615042X | ISBN-13: 978-0826150424 | Publication Date: October 21, 2002 | Edition: 1

This book elaborates on a multidimensional model of decision-making that applies to how individuals make "mundane decisions." Decisions about pursuing relationships, exercise, work, or anything where people might have to "invest" time or behavioral effort are examples. The author utilizes cognitive-developmental theory to understand how children and adolescents make sense of economic inequality.

This modern portfolio theory model of decision-making applies economic concepts to everyday life and may help us understand why individuals differ in their willingness to take risks. It also contributes to our knowledge of personality disorders such as depression and mania.

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert L. Leahy, PhD, is President-elect of the International Association of Cognitive Psychotherapy, the Founder and Director of the American Institute for Cognitive Therapy in New York City (www.CognitiveTherapyNYC.com) and Clinical Associate Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry at Weill-Cornell University Medical School. He is Editor of Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy and he serves on the Executive Committee of the International Association of Cognitive Psychotherapy and with the Executive Board of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. Dr. Leahy's recent books include Cognitive Therapy: Basic Principles and Applications, Practicing Cognitive Therapy, Treatment plans and Interventions for Depression and Anxiety Disorders (with Holland), Overcoming Resistance in Cognitive Therapy, Bipolar: A Cognitive Therapy Approach (with Newman, Beck, Reilly-Harrington, & Gyulai) and Clinical Advances in Cognitive Psychotherapy (ed. with Dowd).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Springer Publishing Company; 1 edition (October 21, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 082615042X
• ISBN-13: 978-0826150424
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,688,837 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I guess I was destined to become a psychologist---given the experiences that I had. My parents were divorced when I was an infant--my father was an alcoholic and he was unable to support us. We moved back to New Haven Connecticut, lived with my Italian grandparents, and then moved to an Irish working-class housing project. We were poor, but we always had kids to play with and we learned the values of honesty, perseverance, fairness, and keeping your eye on the prize. When I wasn't playing basketball, I was reading everything. My mom told me that she couldn't afford to send me to college, but I insisted I would get a scholarship. Fast forward--- I got my undergraduate degree and PhD at Yale. Later I did my postdoctoral training with Aaron Beck, the founder of cognitive therapy.
I have been interested in helping people overcome depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and relationship issues. Someone asked me, "Don't you get depressed talking to depressed people?", and I respond, "There's nothing more rewarding than helping people overcome depression". I've written and edited fifteen other books for psychologists-- books on depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, personality disorders, etc. I lecture throughout the world and I am excited that several of my books have been adapted as training texts at leading schools. The great appeal of cognitive and behavioral therapy is that it actually works. People get better. There is hope--even if you feel hopeless.
I have also been fortunate to be able to play a role in professional organizations that promote cognitive therapy. I am the President of the International Association of Cognitive Therapy, President-elect of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy and I serve on a number of international and national committees, boards, and journals. My colleagues and I are helping to coordinate the training of cognitive therapists in Beijing, China, and at The American Institute for Cognitive Therapy we are training psychiatrists and psychologists in cognitive therapy in the New York area. I began working on the popular audience book, The Worry Cure, a few years ago. I decided to write an "honest" and "informed" book---one that drew on the best work by the top people worldwide. I have identified seven steps to overcome worry-- each step reflecting not only my own ideas but the work of leading experts. I am honored that many of them in USA, Canada and the UK have told me personally how much they appreciate the work reflected in this book. I owe a great deal of gratitude to the leading researchers throughout the world who really made this book possible. The Worry Cure tries to provide you with a serious understanding about the nature of worry--- the intolerance of uncertainty, the over-valuation of thinking, the avoidance of emotion, procrastination, the sense of urgency, and the maladaptive beliefs underlying your worry. I try to provide you with a full-range of self-help tools--- realizing that no one of them will work for everyone. A number of our patients at our clinic use the Worry Cure as part of their self-help--and they find it reassuring to know that they can now understand why their worry has persisted and how they can reverse this detrimental process.
The Worry Cure was named by Self Magazine as one of the top eight self-help books of all time. I was stunned when I read that--- my colleague Rene showed me the story in the magazine. But I have been fortunate to have been able to learn from my patients about the nature of their worry and what helps them--and to be able to write something that can make a difference.
My friend, Bill, said to me when I was writing this, "Bob, if you help one person overcome their anxiety it would be worth it." It's like the wise saying, "You save the world one life at a time".

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An integration of microeconomic concept into mood problems, November 5, 2003

By 

Wong Chi Kin (Hong Kong, nil China) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Psychology And The Economic Mind: Cognitive Processes and Conceptualization (Hardcover)

The author has attempted to integrate the investment concepts, like resource perception, risk perception and etc among the depressed or manic people. Such concepts has broadened the reader about the future perception and related cognitive biases in the mood disorder. However, the direct integration into practical intervention still needs more exploration in future.