Charles Brooks, Michael Church

In your relationships does it matter if you and your partner are a giver or a taker? Are there different types of givers and takers? Whats the secret to a good marriage? How can you save a rocky marriage? What is the best way to get counseling and what should you expect from counseling? What if a serious psychological disorder is involved in your relationship? The authors, professional psychologists, answer these and many more questions by examining clinical case studies from their counseling practice. The authors present an original model that divides both givers and takers into four different types, and they use the model to analyze their case studies and illustrate why relationships can succeed or fail. They also discuss various personality disorders (such as, obsessive-compulsive, narcissistic, dependent, paranoid, borderline, and antisocial), and how such conditions can complicate treatment of dysfunctional relationships. This book is an essential first step for anyone concerned about a relationship, or who just wants to learn more about the dynamics of relationships from the perspective of givers and takers.

This volume offers a description and analysis of subtle suicide-a psychological condition whose victims don't care if they live or die, and thus act in self-defeating, self-damaging ways.Over their extensive careers, psychotherapists Michael Church and Charles Brooks have developed the concept of "subtle suicide," a development of risky behavior where the subject does not care if he/she lives or dies. Now, in this urgent and informative new work, Church and Brooks present their findings on a condition that is often misdiagnosed as a symptom of addictive or mood disorders, when in fact subtle suicide the real underlying problem.Based on thousands of hours of sessions with real clients and filled with dramatic case studies, Subtle Suicide: Our Silent Epidemic of Ambivalence about Living will help professionals, families, and friends to realize when someone may be suffering from subtle suicide. The authors also provide a number of strategies for helping those exhibiting subtle suicidal behavior, including how to react to specific types of comments and how to avoid being pulled into the sufferer's emotional whirlpool.

This book is designed to help readers increase both the quality and quantity of their lives. Particular attention is paid to the fact that we cannot separate our physical and psychological health which are interconnected in significant and complex ways. Each inevitably affects the other, both positively and negatively. Because negative effects of preventable health problems take place so insidiously, we may not be aware of how deleterious they are until decades after making unhealthy decisions. The reader will be guided through increased understanding of how this interrelationship affects our health, and how we can increase our power to emphasize positive physical and psychological impacts and minimize or prevent negative ones. Additionally, we discuss self-help and professional treatment methods for remediation of health problems, and how our health problems necessarily impact, directly and/or indirectly, those in our family, work environment and community, along with how we can help guide ourselves and others to a healthier and longer life.

Do violent video games lead to violence? Does spanking children make them unstable? Can the alcoholic drink socially? Do children raised by gay parents turn out OK? Are eyewitness accounts accurate? Is winter a cause of depression? Does cell phone use compromise driving ability? These questions and others from the world of psychology touch on our everyday experiences, and are also areas of research that many students want to explore further. Psychology Applied to Everyday Life provides the reader with a portal to discovering what psychologists know about these questions. For each question, the authors review a recent research article and provide a straightforward answer to the question. The writing is conversational, informal, and non-technical. The authors deal with topics in a straightforward manner, allowing readers to develop an understanding of each topic.Psychology Applied to Everyday Life divides its 59 questions into seven fun sections:* Sex, Booze, and Other Fun Things* Raising the Little Ones* Cops, Robbers, and Forensics* Memory and Intelligence* Anxiety, Stress, and Staying Cool* Odds and Ends* Notes from the ShrinkFor those interested in further investigation into a topic, the authors provide additional analysis and references. In addition to reviewing recent research, the authors consider questions from the practice of clinical and counseling psychology. Issues in this section are illustrated with actual case studies from the authors' files, and include questions concerning how best to work with couples, whether psychotropic medications (such as anti-depressant and anti-anxiety agents) are effective, and recent developments in counseling techniques.

This is a book about psychology and coping with stress. When you cope with the stresses of everyday living, you have chosen to live, to face life and its challenges. Too many people choose not to face their problems-to stay in their comfort zone-and let life pass them by. We present a coping model based on accountability, humility, and empathy, traits that comprise honorable character. We believe that effective coping requires acting with integrity and morality according to your values. Using real-life examples, we show you how to develop an action plan for your life based on decency and honesty, a plan that will allow you to discover your honorable self, and bring you closer to realizing your potential.