Tag: psychology

Think Again

Think Again
~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Plot:

How do we come to believe the things we consider to be true? And after we’ve formed an opinion, does that opinion remain true for the rest of our lives? In Think Again, Adam Grant explores the process of rethinking, or evaluating one’s beliefs. The subtitle of this book is “the power of knowing what you don’t know”. It’s about really considering the opinions you hold, and why you hold those opinions… and it’s also about finding joy in being wrong and changing your opinion. If you’re someone who enjoys examining cognitive processes, or someone who likes debating and actually listening to what the other person is saying, or someone who wants to actively evaluate what people tell you instead of indiscriminately accepting it, this is the book for you.

What I loved most:

I’m in my late twenties. One of my favorite parts of this decade of life has been the process of coming to my own beliefs and opinions. Throughout our lives, we’re constantly inundated with people trying to convince us that their opinions are right – effectively, trying to get us to rethink what we believe. I love that as human beings, we all have our own unique thoughts. We can either believe what other people tell us truth is, or we can intentionally choose to evaluate our beliefs and make our own decisions. How wonderful it is to examine one’s thoughts, and choose to be in control of them.

Read this book if you like:

Humility, psychology, being a lifelong learner

Book details:

  • Author: Adam Grant
  • Publisher: Viking Books
  • Date of Publication: February 2, 2021
  • Interest Level: Adult

Aged Out

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Plot:

Dr. Lanetta Greer has owned and run a nonprofit group home for teenage girls for many years. In Aged Out, she looks at the long-term implications of being placed in Out-of-Home Care (OHC). This is a qualitative research study, compiled based on interviews and narratives of 8 participants who were in OHC during at least part of their childhood. These participants have all “aged out” of the foster care system – that is, they are above the age threshold to still be receiving care. Aged Out is essential literature for professionals working with people in OHC, and would also be important reading for parents and families (biological, adoptive, and foster) of kids in OHC.

What I loved most:

When we have kids, my husband and I are planning to adopt from foster care. As such, I try to read any and everything I can get my hands on relating to the foster care system. This was scholarly literature that took me back to my grad school days – it’s been a hot minute since I read through a methodology section. But it was so great to see research focused on the experiences of youth who have been in foster care. My favorite part was reading the narratives, and being able to learn directly through quotes from study participants. I’m hopeful that service providers will read this to know how to better work with kids in OHC, but I’m also hopeful that this research will reach people who make policies and legislation that directly governs the lives of these kids.

Read this book if you like:

Research, sociology, qualitative studies, considering policy implications

Book details:

  • Author: Dr. Lanetta N. Greer
  • Publisher: Archway Publishing
  • Date of Publication: April 26, 2020
  • Age Recommendation: Adults
  • Look up Aged Out on WorldCat to find it at a library near you!

Stoned: Jewelry, Obsession, and How Desire Shapes the World

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Review:

Stoned is an examination of the way that precious gems and jewels have impacted world history. As Raden explains, value is subjective. We’ve decided that these shiny stones are valuable, because we like the way they look. We declare that they should be expensive, because we want to have status symbols to separate classes from each other. However, our decisions about worth and value have implications that reach so much farther than I would have thought. Each chapter looks at the way one jewel has shaped the economy and history of a given culture (or of the world), while also exploring the psychology of human desire. I listened to this in as an audiobook, and it made my commute the last week go by so quickly!

Favorite Passage:

“Gemstones are, in fact, just colorful gravel. They’re just rocks that we’ve given special names. True jewels are things that are beautiful and scarce. We want them because few others can possess them. We want them even more if they are from some very faraway, exotic place. Their value is, and always has been, 90 percent imaginary.”

What I Loved Most:

As I’ve told friends about this book (and I’ve told like everyone I’ve come into contact with about this book), I can literally see everyone’s eyes glazing over as they hear the book is about the history of gems. But y’all, this book is BEYOND fascinating. Raden not only examines the way that various gems shaped history, but also pulls economics and psychology (which were my undergraduate major and minor areas, so I’m always pumped to learn about real world applications of these two!). Plus, you get to learn a bunch of fun facts, like how Marie Antoinette isn’t the one who said “Let them eat cake!” and how we all have diamond engagement rings as the result of a very successful marketing campaign in the early 1900’s. This book makes you smarter. Go read it.

Read this book if you like:

Social studies, finding out how small things can have a huge impact, economics, history, fun facts

Book Details: