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Ronald B. Miller
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Not So Abnormal Psychology: A Pragmatic View of Mental Illness 1st Edition, Kindle Edition

by Ronald B. Miller (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 48 ratings
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This text offers a pragmatic and compassionate approach that can revolutionize readers’ understanding of abnormal psychology.

Each year, tens of thousands of students across the country enroll in abnormal psychology courses. The majority of these students are taught that mental illnesses are genetically-determined malfunctions in the brain, that the American Psychiatric Association's DSM-5 is the primary means of diagnosis and assessment, and that psychotropic medications and cognitive-behavioral interventions are the only scientifically appropriate tools for symptom management.

In this warm and deeply personal text, author Ronald B. Miller offers students a different approach.  Starting with his own professional and personal search for meaning as a young scholar, Miller guides readers through a historical tour of alternative conceptualizations and treatments for psychological problems.  Across a comprehensive range of mental illnesses, including developmental disorders, anxiety, depression, personality disorders and schizophrenia, he reviews theoretical bases, methods of diagnosis and assessment, and treatments that have long produced successful outcomes, yet have too often been denigrated or ignored by proponents of the dominant approaches to mental health care.

A much-needed critical examination of reigning orthodoxies, such as our tendency to pathologize psychological difficulties and to downplay or ignore subjective experiences of human suffering, this text offers a pragmatic and compassionate approach that can revolutionize readers' understanding of abnormal psychology.
 
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  1. ISBN-13
    978-1433820212
  2. Edition
    1st
  3. Publisher
    American Psychological Association
  4. Publication date
    June 15, 2015
  5. Language
    English
  6. File size
    1208 KB
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“I would strongly recommend this book to all practitioners…There is something to offer to all theoretical perspectives, fare for the history aficionados, and a practical quality to a level of theoretical thinking and application that is often missing in thicker tomes. The price is a bargain, it is quite readable, and you get both stories for the same price.” —PsycCRITIQUES®

“My advice to individuals interested in the field of abnormal psychology, including seasoned clinicians, students, and laypersons who are consumers of therapies, is to read with an open mind the well-written and engaging narrative of Not So Abnormal Psychology. They will discover a book that challenges them to think of the field of abnormal psychology critically, thereby identifying its current strengths and weaknesses.” —Metapsychology Online Reviews

“This is the type of text book I wish I had in my undergraduate, master’s or doctoral training as I think it would have greatly deepened my understanding of both the theories and concepts in abnormal psychology as well as given me insight into my own personal and emotional development.” –New England Psychologist
 

From the Back Cover

In this warm and deeply personal text, author Ronald B. Miller offers students a different approach to conceptualizing and treating mental illness. Miller critically examines reigning orthodoxies, such as our tendency to pathologize psychological difficulties and to downplay or ignore subjective experiences of human suffering. He reviews theoretical bases, methods of diagnosis and assessment, and treatments that have long produced successful outcomes, yet have too often been denigrated or ignored by proponents of the dominant approaches to mental health care. This text offers a pragmatic and compassionate approach that can revolutionize readers' understanding of abnormal psychology.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B017HWQI1S
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ American Psychological Association; 1st edition (June 15, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 15, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1208 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 247 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 48 ratings

About the author

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Ronald B. Miller

Ronald B. Miller

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Ronald B. Miller, PhD, is professor of psychology at Saint Michael’s College where he has also directed the Master’s Program in Clinical Psychology for thirty years. He is the author of Not So Abnormal Psychology: A Pragmatic View of Mental Illness, Facing Human Suffering: Psychology and Psychotherapy as Moral Engagement (2004), an Associate Editor for the Encyclopedia of Psychology (2000),and the editor of The Restoration of Dialogue: Readings in the Philosophy of Clinical Psychology (1992). He is a founding associate editor of the journal Pragmatic Case Studies in Psychotherapy, and the former editor of The Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology. A Fellow of the American Psychological Association, he is currently the Chair of the Vermont Board of Psychological Examiners.

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4.5 out of 5 stars
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Craig A. Lawrence
    5.0 out of 5 stars Humpty Dumpty Had a Great Fall
    Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    When he fell, all the King's men & all his horses couldn't put Humpty Dumpty back together again. Can our Kings - our experts in mental health - piece back together those of us who have fallen from atop our walls of mental and emotional health?

    This book - part textbook, part autobiography, and part industry, academic, & professional expose’ - tells of psychology's ongoing struggles to piece us back together after our great falls. Dr. Miller needs all these genres to tell his complex story of the history & practice of abnormal psychology, & of the human condition it attempts to understand. But this book is much more than its mix of genres. The author of this book had to have a rare blend of skill & experience --- someone with the informed perspective of an academician, combined with a wealth of clinical experience; someone with the intellectual skills of a philosopher, combined with a wealth of self-knowledge.

    Dr. Miller possesses this rare blend, and he has written a book deserving of the broadest possible audience. He places the discipline of abnormal psychology in the context of the human condition, where our behaviors are threaded deep into the rich fabric of our families, our cultures, our bodies, and our lived experiences. He shows us how science has guided us to a better understanding of this human condition, but he also gives us an alarming critique of today’s medical approach to “diseases of the brain,” one that is cut adrift from this rich fabric, and driven by the power of labeling patients and the profits of dispensing pills.

    So, what is Dr. Miller’s answer: Can our Kings, armed with the horses of modern science and medicine, piece back together those of us who have taken a great fall? He warns us of the reductionist dangers of categories and chromosomes, but gives us hope through his many case studies that, yes, although maybe a bit bruised, Humpty Dumpty can rise again.
    10 people found this helpful
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  • CDB
    5.0 out of 5 stars We need more text books like this in the world
    Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2015
    Inspiration! We need more text books like this in the world!
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Jacqui
    3.0 out of 5 stars A welcome, but sometimes lacking, criticism of the current state of our field.
    Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    I think this is a much needed book, but at times it goes too far. Perhaps that's what we need, though, to spark a discussion. Sometimes Miller makes claims without citations, and at other times he seems to be cherry-picking studies based on his own agenda. I am willing to look past much of that because what he brings up is truly important, but I think his arguments would be stronger if he had more research to back up his more severe allegations. However, he also makes a point that research itself cannot always answer our questions, so I guess he sorta covered all his bases in that regard.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars As expected
    Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Textbook was delivered as expected
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  • Ashley
    1.0 out of 5 stars This book is extremely disappointing
    Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I was really looking forward to this book as a companion text to the other text book for my undergrad Abnormal Psychology course. It was within the first couple of pages of chapter 2 that the authors sweeping generalizations based on limited facts and data appeared. Multiple times in throughtout the book he makes claims, but when you investigate the citation the claims don't match the content of the publication. His bias is obvious and palpable, doing nothing more than to argue against his validity as an educator and author. A quick Google search on the authors of some of the more questionable statistics in this book will reveal their agendas as well. It's not good l.

    I have never not had a text book I loved. I collect them all and annotate them lovingly. This one will be burned. I'm not even going to donate it as I believe it contains theories that could be harmful to someone either struggling with a mental illness or who is working towards becoming a therapist or psychologist. Unless you need to purchase this book for a course (and if you do, consider yourself warned), I recommend you avoid it at all costs.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • JPM
    3.0 out of 5 stars Meets expectations
    Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2022
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    The book was wordy, but had good case studies.
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  • HAPPYMAMA
    5.0 out of 5 stars FASCINATING, IRRITATING, CONFUSING
    Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I bought for an Abnormal Psych class and found it a fascinating (such as the author's personal life history), yet sometimes uncomfortable, read. Dr. Miller gives great insights into the various theories of mental treatment and how the mental health community differs widely in their beliefs and practices. His writing style is a little confusing to follow, structurally. I have read many, many books and cannot remember going back and rereading sentences so many times, to try and capture the essence of the author's intent. Many of the case study examples in this book feel downright sexist. They are primarily men, downtrodden by evil woman, with two examples that were so similar I began to question the ulterior motives of their being examples. Also, one of the most ridiculous case studies involves a man who is essentially rescued from a psych hospital, by his devoted, kind, and persistent wife, who begins years of intense analytical talk therapy, and comes out, on the other side, "cured" - a ridiculously brilliant and renowned professor. The therapist introduces him to pornography, the patient eventually has an affair during his wife's breast cancer treatments, she (I suppose in desperation?) seeks treatment from the same therapist. Um, is this bizarre conflict of interest suppose to inspire mental health practitioners or breast cancer survivors? Another case study involves a young, kindergarten aged girl who's inattentive parents were freaked out that she would not do well in school, and paid a play therapist thousands of dollars to ascertain what was troubling her, because they were apparently unable to spend quality time to discover the big answers themselves. So, I found the book very interesting in parts, painful in others, mildly sexist and rife with over-the-top case studies that were almost unrelatable.
    One person found this helpful
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