In Control: No More Snapping at Your Family, Sulking at Work, Steaming in the Grocery Line, Seething in Meetings, Stuffing Your Frustration
by Redford Williams, Virginia Williams
List Price:
Our Price: $4.86
You Save: $10.09 (67%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $3.53 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Redford Williams, Virginia WilliamsEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2007-02-06
ISBN: 1594866252
Number of pages: 288
Publisher: Rodale Books
Book Reviews of In Control: No More Snapping at Your Family, Sulking at Work, Steaming in the Grocery Line, Seething in Meetings, Stuffing Your Frustration
Book Review: Emotional Control Within Eight Weeks
Summary: 4 Stars
This book promises a lot: in effect that if you follow the clearly laid plans, self-control and serenity can be yours within eight weeks. The authors say that greater self-control will improve not just emotional but physical health. Dr Redford Williams was one of the people who first found an apparent link between Type A personality and the development of coronary artery disease, so it is not surprising that the authors focus on this link. More recent research has not been so clear that there is a connection between Type A personality and heart disease, and much interest has shifted toward the "Type D" personality, which refers to the tendency to experience negative emotions and to inhibit the expression of these negative emotions in social interactions. Stress and hostility do seem to be involved in the development of coronary artery disease, and perhaps also other heart and health problems, by lessening our normal heart rate variability.
Leaving aside those technical quibbles, I don't think anyone could deny that gaining greater control of our emotional life is a good thing. Drawing on the burgeoning science of positive psychology, the book begins with self-assessment quiz and ends with advice on increasing your level of optimism.
The main strategies that the authors recommend are certainly sound:
1. Recognize your emotions
2. Weigh the evidence of situations, so that you think before you act
3. Gaining control of your reactions
4. How to resolve problems and implement solutions
5. Assert yourself and learn to say no
6. Improve communication
7. Empathize with others
8. Learn to "look up, " i.e. how to be happy and optimistic
Each chapter is peppered with interesting and appropriate cases.
Most of the advice is intuitive. My only concern with the book, and why I'm giving four stars, is that there is almost too much information in it. I say that with the greatest sympathy: my agent and editor constantly makes the same charge against me! It seemed to me as if the book contained just about every piece of psychological advice that I've ever seen. Including a few techniques that have been shown not to work. The one that jumped out at me was the advice to snap a rubber band against the wrist. Something that was popular many years ago, before empirical research showed that such interruption strategies are not very effective. I have known a few people use the technique with such vigor that they've made their wrists black and blue!
There is nothing about any of the other techniques like thought field therapy that can often be helpful with emotional problems like anger, but since there is little published data on the "tapping therapies," that is not a criticism of the book.
With those couple of caveats I still recommend the book as a compendium of psychological approaches to managing anger. If anger is a problem for you or for those around you, this book is a good place to start.
Summary of In Control: No More Snapping at Your Family, Sulking at Work, Steaming in the Grocery Line, Seething in Meetings, Stuffing Your Frustration
In this life-changing book-now available in paperback-the creators of the internationally acclaimed Lifeskills workshops draw on groundbreaking research to show readers how to deal with the stresses in their lives that often cause them to lose control. Working equally well for "hot reactors," who tend to blow up when things don't go their way, and "cool reactors," who are more likely to repress their emotions, the easy-to-follow 8-week program will help anyone to cope effectively with a variety of difficult circumstances, from volatile situations at home and at work to smaller annoyances like traffic jams and long checkout lines.
Emotions Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Engineering
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Medicine
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Emotions Books
Emotional Intelligence Quickbookby Travis Bradberry, Jean Greaves
TalentSmart; Published: 2003-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $116.32
The Book of Qualitiesby J. Ruth Gendler
Turquoise Mountain Publications; Published: 1986-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.74
Price in other shops:
Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skillby Matthieu Ricard
Little, Brown and Company; Published: 2007-01-05; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.53
Price in other shops:
The Feelings Book: The Care & Keeping of Your Emotionsby Lynda Madison
Published: 2008-06-25; Library Binding; Book
Best price: $17.95
The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbookby Martha Davis, Elizabeth Robbins Eshelman, Matthew McKay
New Harbinger Publications Inc.; Published: 1998-08; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.50
Price in other shops:
Quiet Roomby Lori Schiller, Amanda Bennett
Hachette Audio; Published: 1994-06-01; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $3.85
Price in other shops:
In The SpotLight: Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking and Performingby Janet E. Esposito M.S.W.
Strong Books; Published: 2000-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $29.98
Emotional Freedomby Judith Orloff M.D.
Random House Audio; Published: 2009-03-03; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $10.88
Price in other shops:
Dance of Angerby Harriet Goldhor Lerner
Harpercollins Publisher; Published: 1985-09; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $93.24
Final Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs and Communications of the Dyingby Patricia Kelley, Maggie Callanan
Bantam; Published: 1993-03-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.99
Similar Books and other products
Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach (with Abnormal Psych Live CD-ROM)by David H. Barlow, V. Mark Durand
Wadsworth Publishing; Published: 2008-02-04; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $93.80
Price in other shops:
People Skills: How to Assert Yourself, Listen to Others, and Resolve Conflictsby Robert Bolton
Touchstone; Published: 1986-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.95
Price in other shops:
Psychology & Christianity : With Contributions by Gary R. Collins ... Et AlInterVarsity Press; Published: 2000-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.28
Price in other shops:
Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling (AACC Library)by Mark R. McMinn
Tyndale House Publishers; Published: 1996-06-11; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $15.00
Price in other shops:
Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapyby Gerald Corey
Brooks Cole; Published: 2008-01-15; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $75.98
Price in other shops:
Beyond Anger: A Guide for Men: How to Free Yourself from the Grip of Anger and Get More Out of Lifeby Thomas J. Harbin
Da Capo Press; Published: 2000-03-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.53
Price in other shops:
The Anger Diet: Thirty Days to Stress-Free Livingby Brenda Shoshanna
Andrews McMeel Publishing; Published: 2005-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.79
Price in other shops:
The Anger Trap: Free Yourself from the Frustrations that Sabotage Your Lifeby Les Carter
Jossey-Bass; Published: 2004-09-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.91
Price in other shops:
Lifeskills: 8 Simple Ways to Build Stronger Relationships, Communicate More Clearly, and Imp rove Your Healthby Redford Williams, Virginia Williams
Three Rivers Press; Published: 1999-05-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.52
Price in other shops:
Anger Kills: Seventeen Strategies for Controlling the Hostility That Can Harm Your Healthby Redford Williams, (none)
HarperTorch; Published: 1998-12-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.80
Price in other shops: