Behavioural techniques: Richard Stern: Academic press, London (1978). xii + 82 pp. £3.50 (paper).
1
BOOK REVIEWS 525 WILLIAM H. REDD, ALBERT L. PORTERFIELD and BARBARA L. ANDERSEN: Behaviour Modification: Behaoioural Approaches to Human Problems. Random House, New York (1979). xviii + 477 pp. no price stated. RICHARD STERN: Behauioural Techniques. Academic Press, London (1978). xii + 82 pp. f3.50 (paper). Behauiour Modification is a book whose good points are so good that its essential failure overall is thereby a greater disappointment. The learning bases of behavioural techniques are admirably covered and will clarify the thoughts of trainees (and others) whose grasp of conditioning principles is at all rusty. The clinical sections are well planned and organised and there are good descriptive case illustrations. What goes wrong is in the paucity of literature drawn upon. A random check of cited references revealed none for this Journal later than 1969 (nor, for that matter, of any other British material). With only American literature in their grasp, they have highly informative sections on institutional programmes for the severely disabled; but a totally inadequate coverage of such matters as phobia, sexual dysfunction or of community-based techniques, and this patchiness renders the book of very limited use. Behauioural Technique is limited in its scope also but here mainly by design. The sorts of clinical problems covered are those likely to be seen in an out-patient setting. Aimed at providing illustrations of treatment in action, it does fill a gap in the existing literature. However, while it would indeed suggest strategies to be followed by those in training, it is doubtful whether it could quite fill the author’s aim of giving guidance to the totally initiated. Apart from anything else, no treatment failure is described and, whatever the norm in south east five, it will be a lucky tyro who never finds himself faced with this problem. So, both books have something to commend them but both fall somewhat short of target. ANTONIA WHITEHEAD RAGHU N. GAIND and BARBARA L. HUDSON: Current Themes in Psychiatry. Macmillan Press, London (1978). 400 pp. E12.00. This is a first in what is apparently to be a series of regular volumes focussing on contemporary thinking in psychological medicine. The common link underlying all the contributions in this book is that they are based on lectures delivered at the Bexley Hospital in London during the 10th of the biannual series of courses for Senior Psychiatrists, organised by one of the editors. There are 30 .papers in all, subdivided into various sections-issues of contemporary concern, specific issues, general issues, psychological treatments and physical treatments. It is obviously impossible to review 30 very variegated papers of this kind but on the whole the quality seems to be even more uneven than is usual in books of this kind. Malcolm Lader’s paper on “Some Psychophysical Aspects of Anxiety” is excellent; others are of little use. The approach is on the whole traditional, but with some modem methods of behaviour therapy. and token economies breaking in. Even there it is surprising to see a chapter on the treatment of psychopaths without reference to token economies, which at the hands of Sarason and others have had some quite interesting effects. The book will be of interest mainly to psychiatrists, who will presumably wish to dip into it for chapters that are of interest to them rather than read it through. H. J. EYSENCK R. I. LANYON and B. P. LANYON: Behavior Therapy: A Clinical Introduction. Addison-Wesley, Reading, Massa- chusetts (1978). xii + 192 pp. E3.75. If asked to describe how behavioural psychotherapists work with their clients one could do no better than point to the Lanyon’s non-evaluative, straightforward introduction to behavioural principles and treatment techniques. The material is partly organ&d around case studies which genuinely convey an impression of breadth, sensitivity, and good clinical observation. The problems discussed are of the type that turn up repeatedly in psychiatric outpatient departments and community clinics, but one short chapter also introduces the reader to modification techniques in institutions. The book could be recommended to potential clients who are uncertam about the nature of behavioural psychotherapy, and it would also make a valuable primer for courses at an elementary level. Discussion of ethical issues is sparse but the reader should be left with an impression of the flexibility of the behavioural approach and its recognition of the wishes of the client. R. S. HALLAM
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Transcript of Behavioural techniques: Richard Stern: Academic press, London (1978). xii + 82 pp. £3.50 (paper).
BOOK REVIEWS 525
WILLIAM H. REDD, ALBERT L. PORTERFIELD and BARBARA L. ANDERSEN: Behaviour Modification: Behaoioural Approaches to Human Problems. Random House, New York (1979). xviii + 477 pp. no price stated. RICHARD STERN: Behauioural Techniques. Academic Press, London (1978). xii + 82 pp. f3.50 (paper).
Behauiour Modification is a book whose good points are so good that its essential failure overall is thereby a greater disappointment. The learning bases of behavioural techniques are admirably covered and will clarify the thoughts of trainees (and others) whose grasp of conditioning principles is at all rusty. The clinical sections are well planned and organised and there are good descriptive case illustrations. What goes wrong is in the paucity of literature drawn upon. A random check of cited references revealed none for this Journal later than 1969 (nor, for that matter, of any other British material). With only American literature in their grasp, they have highly informative sections on institutional programmes for the severely disabled; but a totally inadequate coverage of such matters as phobia, sexual dysfunction or of community-based techniques, and this patchiness renders the book of very limited use.
Behauioural Technique is limited in its scope also but here mainly by design. The sorts of clinical problems covered are those likely to be seen in an out-patient setting. Aimed at providing illustrations of treatment in action, it does fill a gap in the existing literature. However, while it would indeed suggest strategies to be followed by those in training, it is doubtful whether it could quite fill the author’s aim of giving guidance to the totally initiated. Apart from anything else, no treatment failure is described and, whatever the norm in south east five, it will be a lucky tyro who never finds himself faced with this problem.
So, both books have something to commend them but both fall somewhat short of target.
ANTONIA WHITEHEAD
RAGHU N. GAIND and BARBARA L. HUDSON: Current Themes in Psychiatry. Macmillan Press, London (1978). 400 pp. E12.00.
This is a first in what is apparently to be a series of regular volumes focussing on contemporary thinking in psychological medicine. The common link underlying all the contributions in this book is that they are based on lectures delivered at the Bexley Hospital in London during the 10th of the biannual series of courses for Senior Psychiatrists, organised by one of the editors. There are 30 .papers in all, subdivided into various sections-issues of contemporary concern, specific issues, general issues, psychological treatments and physical treatments. It is obviously impossible to review 30 very variegated papers of this kind but on the whole the quality seems to be even more uneven than is usual in books of this kind. Malcolm Lader’s paper on “Some Psychophysical Aspects of Anxiety” is excellent; others are of little use. The approach is on the whole traditional, but with some modem methods of behaviour therapy. and token economies breaking in. Even there it is surprising to see a chapter on the treatment of psychopaths without reference to token economies, which at the hands of Sarason and others have had some quite interesting effects. The book will be of interest mainly to psychiatrists, who will presumably wish to dip into it for chapters that are of interest to them rather than read it through.
H. J. EYSENCK
R. I. LANYON and B. P. LANYON: Behavior Therapy: A Clinical Introduction. Addison-Wesley, Reading, Massa- chusetts (1978). xii + 192 pp. E3.75.
If asked to describe how behavioural psychotherapists work with their clients one could do no better than point to the Lanyon’s non-evaluative, straightforward introduction to behavioural principles and treatment techniques. The material is partly organ&d around case studies which genuinely convey an impression of breadth, sensitivity, and good clinical observation. The problems discussed are of the type that turn up repeatedly in psychiatric outpatient departments and community clinics, but one short chapter also introduces the reader to modification techniques in institutions. The book could be recommended to potential clients who are uncertam about the nature of behavioural psychotherapy, and it would also make a valuable primer for courses at an elementary level. Discussion of ethical issues is sparse but the reader should be left with an impression of the flexibility of the behavioural approach and its recognition of the wishes of the client.
R. S. HALLAM
