Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Nonsense written by someone with no relevant qualifications, 20 April 2008
This review is from: Tigger on the Couch: The neuroses, psychoses, maladies and disorders of our favourite children's characters (Paperback)
It's a shame that Ms James felt she should to author a book that she is unqualified to write. "Author, Journalist and Magazine editor" (from the book itself) Laura James should stick to subjects she knows something about, and leave psychology and psychiatry to those of us who are actually qualified to write about it.
Her ludicrous misunderstanding of even the most basic psychiatric concepts would be laughable if they weren't so potentially damaging. Her notions of the characters here being 'ill' are nonsense, and show that she does not understand that psychopathology is culturally situated. Winnie the Pooh lives well in his space and culture, with a house, good friends, enough food etc. He is happy and has a fulfilling life. Drug and behavior therapy (as she suggests) would not be indicated, and the very notion that they would is repugnant.
I think Ms James has misunderstood the purpose of psychology and psychiatry. It is not to indoctrinate, and failing that to drug, everyone into some bland conformity, but rather to relieve distress. Her 'case studies' demonstrate her simple misunderstanding of this basic point.
I was further distressed to note that she has also failed to research her source material sufficiently. Winnie the Pooh's songs do not "Cause distress to his friends and neighbors" (p.49) rather they are often pleased by them and request them to mark special occasions. The whole book is replete with these kinds of errors of fact, which makes her laughable interpretations all the more ludicrous.
What concerns me most is that some people will understandably buy this book in the belief that the contents are an accessible introduction to a series of facts. They are not. Consequently, I shall not be recommending it in my own practice. I urge you instead to buy one of the many quality introductory works available that are written by people who have some basic knowledge of (and qualification in) the subject.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
good concept but not enough material for a book, 21 Mar 2009
This review is from: Tigger on the Couch: The neuroses, psychoses, maladies and disorders of our favourite children's characters (Paperback)
The concept for this book was a very good one, and I was looking forward to reading it on the basis that it would be insightful and entertaining. Having read it I would still say that it is an entertaining read, however I find the justification for the book to be weakened having read it. I get the feeling that the amount of material available is not sufficient to justify a book. Rather, this would be an interesting article in a newspaper's weekend magazine. Therefore I wonder whether the author and publishers decided to string out the concept for long enough to make it into a book, in the hope that that would benefit them better. Towards the latter stages the book I was left with the feeling that the remainder of the book would provide nothing new.
Now to focus on the positive aspects of the book, it is initially very entertaining and well-written. It is accessible to those without a detailed knowledge of psychotherapy/psychology. The book clearly explains that there are some characters in children's books who have identifiable disorders, but I was also left with the feeling that some of the characters analysed had no real disorder at all, and that their strange behaviour was merely a necessary behavioural exaggeration to make the meaning clear to the target audience of the original book i.e. children. Therefore I was left with the overall feeling that the book was based on a good concept but did not have enough material to justify itself, and would really have been better as a magazine feature article. Since no such article exists I'm uncertain whether this means I should recommend the book but suggest only reading the first half, or advise readers to look elsewhere.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gives me a new way of looking at childhood characters, 3 Jan 2009
A Kid's Review
This review is from: Tigger on the Couch: The neuroses, psychoses, maladies and disorders of our favourite children's characters (Paperback)
I am an American 12-year-old, but my father brought this book back from London on a business trip. When I first saw it the title struck me as quite interesting. This book is simultaneously highly entertaining, intelligent, and insightful. When I first opened the book I was given a new understanding of the characters that, as a child, I thought I had known. I would highly recommend this book to adults and children alike.
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