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The meaning of love in human experience
168
BOOK REVIEWS
WILLIAM STEWART: Cou~eIiiffg in ~ehubj~~totion. Groom
Helm, London (1985). xiii + 315 pages. E10.95.
The author of this book is a practising Senior Nurse and a tutor/~ont~butor to the Riploma/MSC in Rehabiii~tion Studies at Southampton University. He is thus well placed to provide a text of techniques, knowledge and skills essential for rehabilitation counselling. In a technological age when concerns of unique human experience and intervention are downgraded as unscientific, ‘soft’ and unworthy of serious consideration, it takes courage to postulate a personal philosophy as the central construct in this wide ranging explanation of counselling in rehabilitation. The Europe Professor of Rehabilitation in the Foreword hints at the failure of the medical model of illness to provide ‘all the answers’ not~~standing its magnificent record and contin~ng successes. As befits a Professor, he is anxious that the contents of this book should not be seen to deviate from the standards of the ‘intell~tually respectable’. One cannot dissociate human intentions and purposes from a field as basic to human survival as health care. The author draws upon statements by politicians, legislators, statutory committees and scores of recipients of rehabilitatory services as much as upon the work of respected academics, scholars and researchers. As befits a practitioner he is eclectic in his approach when, for example, he lists eleven possible explanations of the psychopathology of anxiety (p. 230). His position is that “ . . . . none offers the complete answer. Students of human nature must be prepared to accept contributions from many sources. To follow slavishly one model is to close one’s mind to the possibility that the modei may not possess the whole truth. . . and. . . lying outside our awareness other truths (may) exist that could, . . . enrich our experience.” Systematically written with supporting evidence, this book encapsulates much valuable first-hand experience and cannot fail to enrich the receptive reader’s experience too. M. H. R.
FINE: The Meaning of Love in Human Experience.
JAYA~INGHE
Wiley, New York (198.5). xii + 422 pages. 540.00.
The author starts this book by noting that love is a central theme in poetry but not in science. Freud wanted to redress the balance when in 1908 he tried to set up an Academy of Love in Vienna. But love was perhaps less on his mind when later he declared that “the aim of all life is death”! Anyway the aim of this book was to “examine love from a scientific point of view”. But in spite of this worthy intention, nowhere do we find reference to the major scientific works in this field: the names of Elaine Hatfield and Ellen Berscheid (who pioneered ‘blind date’ studies), John Lee (who factor analysed the types of love), or even Zick Rubin (who constructed the first questionnaire on love) are all absent. Instead we have abundant reference to the writings of Ovid, Plato and Aristophanes, along with Freud. Perhaps this was only to be expected since Reuben Fine was Director of the New York Center for Psychoanalytic Training. Even so as a good teacher he might have at least tried to integrate philosophical writings with modem day research. Gn the positive side, the book is beautifully produced and provides a very readable account of historical anecdotes and psychoanalytic theories. We are told about the quasi-experiment of Frederick II when foster parents were forbidden to talk to their babies in order to see which language would develop naturally. The outcome of a high death rate is taken as clear illustration of our intense need for early love. In spite of this biological predisposition Western civilisation has developed as a ‘hate’ culture-witness the incidence of divorce, violence, slavery and the nastier aspects of religion. The best examples of a ‘love’ culture come from Polynesia, and the Tasaday, Hutterite and Arapesh people. ft is argued that psychotherapy could help us move in the direction of greater love and kindness. But except for our innate need for love, little justification is given for such optimism. The author concludes that “love remains the most profound and important of all human emotions”. DAVID NIAS
&~OLD P. GOLDSTEFJand OESULD Y. MICHAELS: Emputhy-Development, Associates, Hillsdale, NJ, and London (1985). x + 287 pages. E25.50.
Training and Consequences. Lawrence Evebaum
Not many people fail to practice empathy in some aspect of their working lives. Probably nobody would admit to a lack of the facility. It seems to be a fundamental characteristic of all human societies, even of all social groups in nature. Perhaps it has some evolutionary significance. It is certainly important throughout the life cycle--during maturation+ parenting and senescence. It must surety be of interest to social anthropolo~sts. It has special importance in a diversity of callings-drama, opera and ballet, leaders of expeditions, instructors in hazardous sports, music teachers, confidence tricksters. Does the successful salesman need particular gifts of empathy? Advanced skills in empathy appear to be desirable to those in certain professions, among them teachers, nurses, social workers, psychiatrists, clinical psychologists. Of these the last have led the field in attempts at clarification of the concept, operational definition, and the seeking of empirical evidence. The history and present state of our understanding ofempathy, as far as it can be systematised and placed in a scientific framework, are admirably reviewed in this book. How is empathy to be defined? It is different from sympathy, projection and identification. There are four sequential components: interpersonal perception in which someone (the subject) perceives how it feels to be somebody else (the object); affective reverberation-the subject’s experiencing the other’s feelings directly whilst, at the same time, retaining his own perspectives; cognitive processing; and response or feedback from the subject to the object. Such is the ~r~ptu~-aff~tivecognitive-communication definition which culminates from earlier ideas and finds favour with Goldstein and Michaels. Chapters are devoted to the development of empathy, its perceptuai, affective reverberation and cognitive components, the implications for therapy, education and parenting, and training. The bibliography contains some 900 references. This is a book which simply must be read by anybody wishing to know the story so far in the attempt to operational&! this most elusive yet centrally important aspect of human behaviour. R. H.
CAWLEY
BOOK REVIEWS
WILLIAM STEWART: Cou~eIiiffg in ~ehubj~~totion. Groom
Helm, London (1985). xiii + 315 pages. E10.95.
The author of this book is a practising Senior Nurse and a tutor/~ont~butor to the Riploma/MSC in Rehabiii~tion Studies at Southampton University. He is thus well placed to provide a text of techniques, knowledge and skills essential for rehabilitation counselling. In a technological age when concerns of unique human experience and intervention are downgraded as unscientific, ‘soft’ and unworthy of serious consideration, it takes courage to postulate a personal philosophy as the central construct in this wide ranging explanation of counselling in rehabilitation. The Europe Professor of Rehabilitation in the Foreword hints at the failure of the medical model of illness to provide ‘all the answers’ not~~standing its magnificent record and contin~ng successes. As befits a Professor, he is anxious that the contents of this book should not be seen to deviate from the standards of the ‘intell~tually respectable’. One cannot dissociate human intentions and purposes from a field as basic to human survival as health care. The author draws upon statements by politicians, legislators, statutory committees and scores of recipients of rehabilitatory services as much as upon the work of respected academics, scholars and researchers. As befits a practitioner he is eclectic in his approach when, for example, he lists eleven possible explanations of the psychopathology of anxiety (p. 230). His position is that “ . . . . none offers the complete answer. Students of human nature must be prepared to accept contributions from many sources. To follow slavishly one model is to close one’s mind to the possibility that the modei may not possess the whole truth. . . and. . . lying outside our awareness other truths (may) exist that could, . . . enrich our experience.” Systematically written with supporting evidence, this book encapsulates much valuable first-hand experience and cannot fail to enrich the receptive reader’s experience too. M. H. R.
FINE: The Meaning of Love in Human Experience.
JAYA~INGHE
Wiley, New York (198.5). xii + 422 pages. 540.00.
The author starts this book by noting that love is a central theme in poetry but not in science. Freud wanted to redress the balance when in 1908 he tried to set up an Academy of Love in Vienna. But love was perhaps less on his mind when later he declared that “the aim of all life is death”! Anyway the aim of this book was to “examine love from a scientific point of view”. But in spite of this worthy intention, nowhere do we find reference to the major scientific works in this field: the names of Elaine Hatfield and Ellen Berscheid (who pioneered ‘blind date’ studies), John Lee (who factor analysed the types of love), or even Zick Rubin (who constructed the first questionnaire on love) are all absent. Instead we have abundant reference to the writings of Ovid, Plato and Aristophanes, along with Freud. Perhaps this was only to be expected since Reuben Fine was Director of the New York Center for Psychoanalytic Training. Even so as a good teacher he might have at least tried to integrate philosophical writings with modem day research. Gn the positive side, the book is beautifully produced and provides a very readable account of historical anecdotes and psychoanalytic theories. We are told about the quasi-experiment of Frederick II when foster parents were forbidden to talk to their babies in order to see which language would develop naturally. The outcome of a high death rate is taken as clear illustration of our intense need for early love. In spite of this biological predisposition Western civilisation has developed as a ‘hate’ culture-witness the incidence of divorce, violence, slavery and the nastier aspects of religion. The best examples of a ‘love’ culture come from Polynesia, and the Tasaday, Hutterite and Arapesh people. ft is argued that psychotherapy could help us move in the direction of greater love and kindness. But except for our innate need for love, little justification is given for such optimism. The author concludes that “love remains the most profound and important of all human emotions”. DAVID NIAS
&~OLD P. GOLDSTEFJand OESULD Y. MICHAELS: Emputhy-Development, Associates, Hillsdale, NJ, and London (1985). x + 287 pages. E25.50.
Training and Consequences. Lawrence Evebaum
Not many people fail to practice empathy in some aspect of their working lives. Probably nobody would admit to a lack of the facility. It seems to be a fundamental characteristic of all human societies, even of all social groups in nature. Perhaps it has some evolutionary significance. It is certainly important throughout the life cycle--during maturation+ parenting and senescence. It must surety be of interest to social anthropolo~sts. It has special importance in a diversity of callings-drama, opera and ballet, leaders of expeditions, instructors in hazardous sports, music teachers, confidence tricksters. Does the successful salesman need particular gifts of empathy? Advanced skills in empathy appear to be desirable to those in certain professions, among them teachers, nurses, social workers, psychiatrists, clinical psychologists. Of these the last have led the field in attempts at clarification of the concept, operational definition, and the seeking of empirical evidence. The history and present state of our understanding ofempathy, as far as it can be systematised and placed in a scientific framework, are admirably reviewed in this book. How is empathy to be defined? It is different from sympathy, projection and identification. There are four sequential components: interpersonal perception in which someone (the subject) perceives how it feels to be somebody else (the object); affective reverberation-the subject’s experiencing the other’s feelings directly whilst, at the same time, retaining his own perspectives; cognitive processing; and response or feedback from the subject to the object. Such is the ~r~ptu~-aff~tivecognitive-communication definition which culminates from earlier ideas and finds favour with Goldstein and Michaels. Chapters are devoted to the development of empathy, its perceptuai, affective reverberation and cognitive components, the implications for therapy, education and parenting, and training. The bibliography contains some 900 references. This is a book which simply must be read by anybody wishing to know the story so far in the attempt to operational&! this most elusive yet centrally important aspect of human behaviour. R. H.
CAWLEY