- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: Open Court Publishing Co ,U.S. (May 1993)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0812690974
- ISBN-13: 978-0812690972
- Product Dimensions: 21.3 x 13.7 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,721,334 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Julian Simon was depressed for 13 long years, living each sad day under a black cloud of sadness and pain. Except for occasional brief episodes, he was continuously conscious of being miserable, constantly preoccupied with his own worthlessness, and held back from suicide only by feelings of duty towards his family. A dedicated scholar, quick-witted, erudite and curious, Simon consulted psychiatrists and psychologists of several schools, and read widely and critically in the psychological literature, desperate to find some therapy that would banish his depression. Eventually he began to find help in the writings of cognitive therapists like Aaron Beck, Albert Ellis, and Martin Seligman, authors who argue that emotional problems often arise from specific habits of thought which can be changed. Applying his newly-gained insights, Simon cured his own depression within weeks, and has remained depression-free for the past 18 years. From his own experience and analysis, he has made innovative contributions to the cognitive approach, resulting in his own distinctive technique, which he calls Self-Comparisons Analysis. Simon argues that depression ultimately results from negative self-comparisons, comparisons we all make continually between the state we think we are in and a hypothetical benchmark state - the state we believe we ought to be in. Sadness and depression arise from too great a contrast between the perceived actual state and the benchmark state. Self-Comparisons Analysis yields many fruitful techniques which can be employed to improve the perceived actual state and reduce the demands of the benchmark state. These techniques should interest depression sufferers, their loved ones, therapists, and psychologists. Simon has also developed an interactive computerised program for combatting depression which provides psychotherapy in the form of instruction/dialogue in everyday language. The disk is available free of charge to purchasers of "Good Mood".
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
First Sentence
The term 'depression' means to psychiatrists and psychologists a continued state of mind with these central characteristics: 1. You are sad or 'blue'. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
The term 'depression' means to psychiatrists and psychologists a continued state of mind with these central characteristics: 1. You are sad or 'blue'. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The book Good Mood represents an excellent scholarly but readable description of a successful therapy that helped Julian Simon in his struggle to relieve his own depression of 13 years.
The Amazon description omits mention of the book's accompanying software, the program Overcoming Depression, developed by MAIW. This program is based on advances in cognitive science and artificial intelligence.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is an excellent overview of the practical insights of cognitive science. And Simon adds a genuinely original contribution to the field: The idea that all our depressing thoughts spring from our universal tendency to compare ourselves or our circumstances to someone or something else. If the comparison is good, we feel good; if it is bad, we feel bad.
Of course, if you look at your own life in an overly negative or pessimistic way, your comparison may turn out worse than it really is, making you feel bad unnecessarily. And if you decide you're helpless to improve your state, that will make you depressed. From the simple idea of comparison, all the different modes of cognitive science are clarified and fit into the larger picture. Simon normally writes on economics. He wrote this book because of his own personal struggle with depression.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Although somewhat detailed, this book presents a comprehensive approach to managing depression. The focus on cognitive therapies provides an efficient and effective tool. A software program is also offered, and it seems to be a potent adjunct to the book and professional counseling.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Health, Family & Lifestyle > Health Issues > Illnesses & Conditions > Depression
- Books > Health, Family & Lifestyle > Medical & Healthcare Practitioners > Other Branches of Medicine > Psychiatry
- Books > Health, Family & Lifestyle > Psychology & Psychiatry > Applied Psychology > Psychotherapy
- Books > Health, Family & Lifestyle > Psychology & Psychiatry > Pathological Psychology
- Books > Science & Nature > Medicine > Diseases & Disorders > Mental Diseases & Disorders > Depression
- Books > Science & Nature > Medicine > Medical Sciences A-Z > Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy
- Books > Science & Nature > Medicine > Medical Sciences A-Z > Psychotherapy & Clinical Psychology
- Books > Science & Nature > Reference > Psychology & Psychiatry
- Books > Scientific, Technical & Medical
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
