jankp's Full Review: Frank J. Bruno - Psychology: A Self-Teaching Guide
Author's Note--Though my Dr. Freudine character is a psychiatrist, she's very interested in psychology and incorporates it in her practice as you'll see in this review. She's still at her client's house, having fallen asleep on his couch. For links to all reviews/essays chronicling her exploits, please go to my profile page.
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I become conscious of the smell of peppermint. My eyelashes flutter, then I see the ceiling fan circling above me and realize where I am. Where's that yummy smell coming from, I wonder as I sit up, then hear raucous male laughter explode from the computer room, followed by a husky female whisper. Instantly mortified I look around for my bag to leave when I spot a note for me on top of a coffeetable, lying on a book.
"I'm not ready to talk to you yet. Things need to change. Read this," it said in a hasty, but legible scrawl. I feel my heart beating quicker as I try to read between the lines, wondering what had really happened before I fell asleep and if I'd been imagining things. Dazed I check out the book and smile. I'd read Psychology: A Self-Teaching Guide by Frank J. Bruno, Ph.D. when it came out last year. It's a fascinating, informative guide to all the concepts and terms you need to know if you're a student, teacher or counselor. 29th is full of surprises!
I settle back with the substantial, oversized paperback and skim over the contents, noting the ones I liked best and those I needed refreshing on:
1 Introduction: The Foundations of Psychology
2 Research Methods in Psychology: Gathering Data
3 The Biology of Behavior: Is The Brain The Organ of Mental Life? x
4 Sensation: Studying the Gateways of Experience
5 Perception: Why Do Things Look The Way They Do? x
6 Learning: Understanding Acquired Behavior
7 Motivation: Why Do We Do What We Do?
8 Emotions: Riding Life's Rollercoaster x
9 Thinking: Exploring Mental Life
10 Intelligence: In Pursuit of Rational Thought and Effective Action
11 Developmental Psychology: How Children Become Adults
12 Sex and Love: Are You In The Mood? X
13 Personality: Psychological Factors That Make You An Individual x
14 Abnormal Psychology: Exploring Mental Disorders
15 Therapy: Helping Troubled People xx
16 Social Psychology: Interacting With Other People
The chapters, on average about fifteen pages, start out with five True or False questions and I can't help but test myself. Rarely do I miss one, although a few I have to guess on, and then I'll do the Self-Test of ten questions at the end with it's four choices on each. I miss a few of these because I haven't restudied the chapter or taken the mini-quizes throughout them, but most of it happily comes back to me.
My mind is swimming with the joy of reading familiar concepts like the nature-nurture controversy, parapsychology, Maslow's hierarchy of needs, Frankl's will to meaning, the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, the vase-faces illusion, the Oedipus complex for men and Electra complex for women and such. Then when I turn to the chapter on Sex and Love, that same scrawl on the note urges me to read it. After acing the "Preview Quiz," I scan the objectives, the section on orgasm, sexual dysfunctions for each sex and for either and sexual variance, then come to an underlined section on intimacy.
It's about the idealization-frustration-demoralization syndrome. First the person 'projects' on the partner, or potential partner, fantasies like she's a Cinderella or he's a Prince Charming; then the illusions slip away to reveal how wrong they were about the person; finally they understand how hopeless it is to have a relationship with them. 29th double underscores this line: (Wendell) Johnson's basic message is clear: People should enter relationships with their eyes wide open.
I stare at the line, debating whether it is meant for me or if he highlighted it earlier for himself. Continuing I head for the section on therapy (I know the one on personality and Freud by heart and abnormal psychology pretty much as well) and ponder the description of a patient-initiated positive transference (like idealization), the therapist's countertransference (returning the crush) and client-centered therapy or non-directive therapy, which is my approach. I'm so absorbed that I start when 29th speaks above me.
"I thought you'd stay busy reading that," he observes and gestures to the computer room. "I'd like you to meet a good friend."
I rise, noting with concern that he avoids my eyes, and enter the room prepared for the worst. An image of a smiling, young, blonde-haired woman vibrates before me, courtesy of 29th's virtual program, dressed in simple jeans and a T-shirt. I smile back, liking her down-to-earth charm.
"Doc," 29th says, "This is who I took a few psych classes with, one of which used that book. Suzer knows me better than most people do and we hang out for real, too."
"Hiya, Doc! You look terribly confused. I knew we should've waited 'til she finished readin'," Suzer groans, frowning at 29th. "Well, as you can see, Doc, he's not a shallow guy at all and he also doesn't need sex therapy in my opinion. Of course I'm not a psychologist by trade, but he and I once dated while taking classes (we actually had dates other than study dates, hardy har har!) and now are better friends than ever."
I prick up my ears. "You once dated? But you get along so well..."
"Did you read that underlined part in the intimacy section?" 29th interjects. At my enlightened look, he nods to Suzer. "She and I went through that idealization-frustration-demoralization syndrome and we realized we were better as just friends who help each other not to repeat that mistake."
"Really! That's wonderful. With that book and a friend like her, why do you come in to see me, 29th?" I ask brightly, perhaps teasingly, but my smile freezes when he gets that look in his eyes I thought I'd dreamed.
"I'm not goin' to anymore," he growls and suddenly steps towards me to wrap his arms sensuously around me and meld his hot mouth against mine. I almost swoon from the overpowering taste of peppermint.
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