Book: The Science and Practice of Wellness

Book Title:

The Science and Practice of Wellness: Interventions for Happiness, Enthusiasm, Resilience, and Optimism (HERO).

Author(s): Rakesh Jain and Saundra Jain.

Year: 2020.

Edition: First (1st).

Publisher: W.W. Norton Company.

Type(s): Hardcover.

Synopsis:

Wellness is rapidly becoming an issue of great importance in clinical practice. Wellness-centric clinicians look to improve various traits known to be beneficial to patients – traits such as happiness, enthusiasm, resilience, and optimism (referred to as the HERO traits). All of these not only improve global mental wellness, but also offer resilience against stress, depression, and anxiety. Wellness-centric interventions augment both psychopharmacology and traditional psychotherapies, such as CBT.

Rakesh and Saundra Jain start with an in- depth review of the scientific literature and a practical introduction on applying wellness interventions in various clinical settings. Additionally, they offer advice on such beneficial practices as exercise, mindfulness, optimised nutrition, optimized sleep, enhanced socialisation, and positive psychology enhancement. A robust resource section offers access to wellness-centric scales and forms developed by the authors.

Book: Resilience – How We Find New Strength At Times of Stress

Book Title:

Resilience – How We Find New Strength At Times of Stress.

Author(s): Frederic Flach, MD.

Year: 2020.

Edition: Third (3rd).

Publisher: Ballantine Books.

Type(s): Hardcover, Paperback, and Kindle.

Synopsis:

Learn to bounce back from life’s inevitable crises by making friends with stress. There’s no escaping stress. It appears on our doorstep uninvited in the shattering forms of death and divorce, or even in the pleasant experiences of promotion, marriage, or a long-held wish fulfilled. Anything that upsets the delicate balance of our daily lives creates stress.

So why do some people come out of a crisis while others never seem quite themselves again? Now, Dr. Frederic Flach takes the anxiety out of hard times by showing you how to embrace you fears and become stronger because of them. Drawing on over thirty years of experience, Flach reveals the remarkable antidote to the destructive qualities of stress: RESILIENCE.

Book: Rainy Brain, Sunny Brain

Book Title:

Rainy Brain, Sunny Brain – How to Retrain Your Brain to Overcome Pessimism and Achieve a More Positive Outlook.

Author(s): Elaine Fox.

Year: 2012.

Edition: First (1st).

Publisher: Baisc Books.

Type(s): Hardcover, Paperback, and Audiobook, and Kindle.

Synopsis:

Are you optimistic or pessimistic? Glass half-full or half-empty? Do you look on the bright side or turn towards the dark? These are easy questions for most of us to answer, because our personality types are hard-wired into our brains. As pioneering psychologist and neuroscientist Elaine Fox has discovered, our outlook on life reflects our primal inclination to seek pleasure or avoid danger – inclinations that, in many people, are healthily balanced. But when our “fear brain” or “pleasure brain” is too strong, the results can be disastrous, as those of us suffering from debilitating shyness, addiction, depression, or anxiety know all too well.

Luckily, anyone suffering from these afflictions has reason to hope. Stunning breakthroughs in neuroscience show that our brains are more malleable than we ever imagined. In Rainy Brain, Sunny Brain, Fox describes a range of techniques – from traditional cognitive behavioural therapy to innovative cognitive-retraining exercises – that can actually alter our brains’ circuitry, strengthening specific thought processes by exercising the neural systems that control them. The implications are enormous: lifelong pessimists can train themselves to think positively and find happiness, while pleasure-seekers inclined toward risky or destructive behavior can take control of their lives.

Drawing on her own cutting-edge research, Fox shows how we can retrain our brains to brighten our lives and learn to flourish. With keen insights into how genes, life experiences and cognitive processes interleave together to make us who we are, Rainy Brain, SunnyBrain revolutionizes our basic concept of individuality. We learn that we can influence our own personalities, and that our lives are only as “sunny” or as “rainy” as we allow them to be.

On This Day … 13 September

Events

  • 1848 – Vermont railroad worker Phineas Gage survives an iron rod 1 1⁄4 inches (3.2 cm) in diameter being driven through his brain; the reported effects on his behaviour and personality stimulate discussion of the nature of the brain and its functions.

People (Deaths)

  • 1999 – Benjamin Bloom, American psychologist and academic (b. 1913).

Book: Personality: Theory and Research

Book Title:

Personality: Theory and Research.

Author(s): Daniel Cervone and Lawrence A. Pervin.

Year: 2019.

Edition: Fourteenth (14th).

Publisher: Wiley.

Type(s): Hardcover and ebook (from Wiley).

Synopsis:

An invaluable resource for over four decades, Personality examines the fundamental theories and concepts of personality psychology while exploring contemporary research, new methodologies, and the latest technological advancements.

Through a well-rounded blend of theory, case studies, and the latest research, this text identifies the structures and processes of personality, traces personality development, and highlights the value of therapeutic change.

An effective pedagogical structure enhances student interest while strengthening objectivity and critical-thinking skills.

Psychodynamic, social-cognitive, phenomenological, and trait-theoretic perspectives are presented in an unbiased – yet critical – fashion that encourages students to compare theories, evaluate evidence, analyse data, and form their own conclusions.

Thorough historical coverage is balanced with discussions of the current state of the field, providing a solid understanding of theory and methods as relevant to practice today.

Suitable for introductory coursework, this text also serves as a valuable resource for advanced studies and as a reference for professionals in psychology and related fields.