Liberty for Latin America: How to Undo Five Hundred Years of State Oppression (Independent Studies in Political Economy)

Liberty for Latin America: How to Undo Five Hundred Years of State Oppression (Independent Studies in Political Economy)
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If only it were as simple as Alvaro Vargas Llosa states.

(((((((((( Propaganda from the RIGHT )))))))))

Didn't know liberty could be so boring!

Fine analysis, uncertain resolution

Liberty for Latin America: How to Undo Five Hundred Years of State Oppression (Independent Studies in Political Economy)
Alvaro Vargas Llosa
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0374185743
Release Date: 2005-01-27

Book Description

Latin America's Foremost Political Journalist Makes a Brilliant and Passionate Argument for Real Reform In the Economically Crippled Continent

In Liberty for Latin America, Alvaro Vargas Llosa offers an incisive diagnosis of Latin America's woes--and a prescription for finally getting the region on the road to both genuine prosperity and the protection of human rights.
When the economy in Argentina--at one time a model of free-market reform--collapsed in 2002, experts of all persuasions asked: What went wrong? Vargas Llosa shows that what went wrong in Argentina has in fact gone wrong all over the continent for over five hundred years. He explains how the republics of the nineteenth century and the revolutions of the twentieth-populist uprisings, Marxist coops, state takeovers, and First World-sponsored privatization-have all run up against the oligarchic legacy of statism. Illiberal elites backed by the United States and Europe have perpetuated what he calls the "five principles of oppression" in order to maintain their hold on power. The region has become "a laboratory for political and economic suicide," while comparable countries in Asia and Eastern Europe have prospered.
The only way to change things in Latin America, Vargas Llosa argues, is to remove the five principles of oppression, genuinely reforming institutions and the underlying culture for the benefit of the disempowered public. In Liberty for Latin America, he explains how, offering hope as well as insight for all those who care for the future of this troubled region.

Customer Reviews:

If only it were as simple as Alvaro Vargas Llosa states........2007-01-19

I live in South America, and, de facto, I am a student of Latin America. Thus, for me Liberty for Latin America was a `must read'. In the four parts, Alvaro Vargas Llosa has written two distinct books - Social/Historical & Economic.

The first part of the text deals with the oppressive history of Latin America. For hundreds of years, Latin America political and economic power, have benefitted only a small elite. This oppressive and privilege status has a history that dates to the Spanish and Portuguese conquest, virtual slavery and mass exploitations under the guise of Catholic paternalism. The concentration of power, status and wealth has not ceased. Today, the struggles in Bolivia, Equador, Venezuela and other countries continue to `luncha' against the systems of privilaged-power that was established more than 500 years ago. Vargas Llosa's explains how the concentrated economic, political and social power, which sustain these oppressive inequalities, continues today. Excellent. He maintains that the enduring legacy of Iberian colonialism continues to sustain and serve the next generation of privileged leadership and that these systems of privilege and power have retarded Latin America's social and economic progress.

The other part of the text deals with his zealous evangelical promotion of `free-market, capitalists'. It is clear that he sees capitalism as the savior of the world'. Everything, should be privatized: education, health, and services of the state. Minimize government, maximize privatization.

His statements can make even those who support a free-market economy cringe. Yet, often in radical expressions, there are seeds of truth. In the end, it is about redistributing wealth.

One wishes that it were as simple as Alvaro Vargas Llosa's solutions. It would be wonderful if those in privileged power would cleanup the corruption (however, this is corruption which supports them). It would be wonderful if the oligarches would affirm the rights of the people (but these are the very people who will rise up and replace them). Yes, also there is a great need to empower the justice system (but of course this will be the very justice system that will prosecute those in power for their crimes against the people). In the words of Louie Armstrong, "what a wonderful world it would be if only we'd give it a chance." I wish it were that simple.

Until a balance of power and wealth is found there will be more coups, state takeovers and capitalistic-sponsored privatization in Latin America. This book will engage you, and, in some degree may enrage you. If you are a student of Latin America history or economics this is a impressive book. Strongly recommended.

(((((((((( Propaganda from the RIGHT ))))))))).......2006-04-15

Mr. Vargas knows absolutely no Latin America History.
He should go back and read the chapter that talk about the invading Iraq and compare it to what we now know about this Right Wing Administration.

Read it for free at the Library. Or send the money to Latin American causes.

Didn't know liberty could be so boring!.......2005-11-26

I picked this book up at the library after seeing the author on C-Span Book TV. With the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas on the table for signing, this seemed like the right time to read a book like this. Since you can only have an item from the library for six weeks tops, I was hoping to read it in that time. I was expecting something engaging like Amy Chua's "World on Fire" or Fareed Zakaria's "Future of Freedom." Those are books that got me turning the pages because of their engaging commentaries on current political situations abroad. Vargas Llosa, however, looks at Latin America through a broad lens and his analysis is exclusively economical.

I think economists will like this book more than I did. It does address just about everything that has been debated over the Free Trade Agreement. It's just that it's boring for a person like me who didn't study econ and needs a little more explanation.

Fine analysis, uncertain resolution.......2005-05-17

As someone who lived and worked in Latin America during one of the region's recent attempts at major economic reform, I found myself frequently mumbling "right on" while marking up my copy of Alvaro Vargas Llosa's "Liberty for Latin America." One of the most refreshing elements of the book is that the Peruvian journalist does not blame European colonizers for Latin America's seemingly insurmountable struggle to pull its population from poverty. He takes the root of the problem back to the Maya, Aztecs, and Incas, when the sacred nature of authority was first instilled in the population. People existed not as individuals, but as members of social strata with specific functions, with the number one function of everything being to support the group on top. This fit in perfectly with the kind of top-down hierarchy practiced by Iberian colonizers. Independence and revolution put governments in charge, with peasants working land that now belonged to their government as opposed to a big landowner. In one way or another, the state kept its fingers in every possible pie while the majority of the population remained infantilized, expecting the government provide for them, to be the biggest patrón of all.

What a relief not to have all the region's woes blamed on Spanish or Portuguese colonizers, and to recognize that many of the practices that still hold Latin America back were institutionalized long before Cortez dropped anchor. But while Vargas Llosa's analysis is intelligent and thought-provoking, his recommendations for reform don't fit with what he's just said. We've read how the population has been conditioned to expect a higher authority-God or the government-to take care of everything. People who feel they have no power are not going to know what to do with school vouchers or how to apply for credit when their squatter communities are granted legal status-two of his recommendations. Have school vouchers actually worked anywhere? So much wealth is concentrated in so few hands in the region that it is hard to imagine that the oligarchs will voluntarily give any of it up, and we've seen that revolution doesn't work, and outside prodding backfires . . .Even after reading Vargas Llosa's intelligent work, liberty for Latin America still seems a long way off.

Liberty for Latin America : How to Undo Five Hundred Years of State Oppression

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Liberty for Latin America : How to Undo Five Hundred Years of State Oppression
Alvaro Vargas Llosa
Manufacturer: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OWYN5C

Latin prescription: is there a cure for South America's sickness?(Books & Arts)(Book Review): An article from: The Weekly Standard

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Latin prescription: is there a cure for South America's sickness?(Books & Arts)(Book Review): An article from: The Weekly Standard
William Ratliff
Manufacturer: News America Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000ALSITO
Release Date: 2005-07-25

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Weekly Standard, published by News America Incorporated on May 30, 2005. The length of the article is 1343 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

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Title: Latin prescription: is there a cure for South America's sickness?(Books & Arts)(Book Review)
Author: William Ratliff
Publication: The Weekly Standard (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 30, 2005
Publisher: News America Incorporated
Volume: 10 Issue: 35 Page: 34(3)

Article Type: Book Review

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Lean Thinking : Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation, Revised and Updated
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Interesting book but very dull.

Womack and Jones, very engaging.

Worth Every Penny

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Lean Thinking : Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation, Revised and Updated
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In the revised and updated edition of Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation, authors James P. Womack and Daniel T. Jones provide a thoughtful expansion upon their value-based business system based on the Toyota model. Along the way they update their action plan in light of new research and the increasing globalization of manufacturing, and they revisit some of their key case studies (most of which still derive, however, from the automotive, aerospace, and other manufacturing industries).

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In contrast with the crash-and-burn performance of companies trumpeted by business gurus in the 1990s, the firms profiled in Lean Thinking -- from tiny Lantech to midsized Wiremold to niche producer Porsche to gigantic Pratt & Whitney -- have kept on keeping on, largely unnoticed, along a steady upward path through the market turbulence and crushed dreams of the early twenty-first century. Meanwhile, the leader in lean thinking -- Toyota -- has set its sights on leadership of the global motor vehicle industry in this decade.

Instead of constantly reinventing business models, lean thinkers go back to basics by asking what the customer really perceives as value. (It's often not at all what existing organizations and assets would suggest.) The next step is to line up value-creating activities for a specific product along a value stream while eliminating activities (usually the majority) that don't add value. Then the lean thinker creates a flow condition in which the design and the product advance smoothly and rapidly at the pull of the customer (rather than the push of the producer). Finally, as flow and pull are implemented, the lean thinker speeds up the cycle of improvement in pursuit of perfection. The first part of this book describes each of these concepts and makes them come alive with striking examples.

Lean Thinking clearly demonstrates that these simple ideas can breathe new life into any company in any industry in any country. But most managers need guidance on how to make the lean leap in their firm. Part II provides a step-by-step action plan, based on in-depth studies of more than fifty lean companies in a wide range of industries across the world.

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Customer Reviews:

Interesting book but very dull........2007-08-27

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Womack and Jones, very engaging........2007-08-26

Lean Thinking- A very well written account of a long study of the theory of customer driven value thinking. The elimination of waste in accomplishing customer driven trade is the main goal of this theory. The book has been tuned over a series of revisions, so it is well polished. While I am no expert on the topic, I can at least attest to the fact that the volume is well written and referenced. Their views are spread over a period of many years, giving them the benefit of tracking case study performance over the long term. Companies both large and small have been studied and tracked to determine the benefits of these theories.

Worth Every Penny.......2007-07-30

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My husband loved it.......2007-04-10

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Excellent Book with Detailed Lean Conversion Techniques .......2007-02-01

This book provides many case studies of companies outside of the auto industry that converted to lean production. It details the personnel changes they had to make, changes in factory layout, differences in the supply chain and much more. Where "The Machine that Changed the World" was a primer to lean production, "Lean Thinking" is more of a how-to book. Together, they make a great pair and provide a fairly in-depth view of the subject. As in, "The Machine that Changed the World", there is plenty of hard data to back up the claims that these companies improved after switching to lean thinking.

I am a college student majoring in mechanical engineering and read this book and "The Machine that Changed the World" to get a broad understanding of lean production. The two books did just that and even gave me many ideas on how to convert a student organization I am involved with (SAE) to more of a lean organization. As much as possible anyway.

Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation.(Book review): An article from: Armed Forces Comptroller

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Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation.(Book review): An article from: Armed Forces Comptroller
Rory B. Cahoon
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
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Binding: Digital

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This digital document is an article from Armed Forces Comptroller, published by Thomson Gale on June 22, 2006. The length of the article is 1467 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Lean Thinking: Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation.(Book review)
Author: Rory B. Cahoon
Publication: Armed Forces Comptroller (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 22, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 51 Issue: 3 Page: 43(3)

Article Type: Book review

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Lean thinking: Banish Waste and create wealth in your corporation.: An article from: Air Force Comptroller

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Lean thinking: Banish Waste and create wealth in your corporation.: An article from: Air Force Comptroller
David Peeler
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000J3OFAO
Release Date: 2006-09-27

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Air Force Comptroller, published by Thomson Gale on June 22, 2005. The length of the article is 610 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Lean thinking: Banish Waste and create wealth in your corporation.
Author: David Peeler
Publication: Air Force Comptroller (Magazine/Journal)
Date: June 22, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 39 Issue: 2 Page: 23(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Thinking lean: when companies snip the muda from their systems, everyone in the enterprise gets into the act of change.(lean engineering)(breaking down ... An article from: Mechanical Engineering-CIME

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Thinking lean: when companies snip the muda from their systems, everyone in the enterprise gets into the act of change.(lean engineering)(breaking down ... An article from: Mechanical Engineering-CIME
Jean Thilmay
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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This digital document is an article from Mechanical Engineering-CIME, published by Thomson Gale on July 1, 2005. The length of the article is 1664 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Thinking lean: when companies snip the muda from their systems, everyone in the enterprise gets into the act of change.(lean engineering)(breaking down a business process to its most valuable parts )
Author: Jean Thilmay
Publication: Mechanical Engineering-CIME (Magazine/Journal)
Date: July 1, 2005
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Volume: 127 Issue: 7 Page: S4(3)

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Book Description

Their natural enemies largely determine the population size and dynamic behavior of many plant-eating insects. Any reduction in enemy number can result in an insect outbreak. Applied biological control is thus one strategy for restoring functional biodiversity in many agroecosystems. Predators and Parasitoids addresses the role of natural enemies in pest control as an integrated pest management concept. It examines how Trichogramma, the extensively studied natural enemy of insect pests, has been used as a pest management tool, and it describes important aspects such as the inducible defense mechanisms of plants and the effects that plant diversity can have on herbivores and natural enemies. Specific chapters address recent advances in biological control: the effects of multiparasitism on parasitization; synergism between insect pathogens and entomophagous insects; and the use of exotic insects for weed control. With contributions from leading worldwide experts, Predators and Parasitoids is ideal for graduate students, research scientists and professionals in biological pest control, agriculture, entomology and ecology.

Arthropod and nematode parasites, parasitoids, and predators of Acrididae in America north of Mexico (Technical bulletin / United States Department of Agriculture)

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Arthropod and nematode parasites, parasitoids, and predators of Acrididae in America north of Mexico (Technical bulletin / United States Department of Agriculture)
Norman E Rees
Manufacturer: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture
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Binding: Unknown Binding
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Assessing Host Ranges for Parasitoids and Predators Used for Classical Biological Control: A Guide to Best Practice

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Assessing Host Ranges for Parasitoids and Predators Used for Classical Biological Control: A Guide to Best Practice

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Binding: Paperback
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The Dynamics of Arthopod Predator-Prey Systems. (MPB-13) (Monographs in Population Biology)

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The Dynamics of Arthopod Predator-Prey Systems. (MPB-13) (Monographs in Population Biology)
Michael Patrick Hassell
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0691082154

Book Description

In this study of arthropod predador-prey systems Michael Hassell shows how many of the components of predation may be simply modeled in order to reveal their effects on the overall dynamics of the interacting populations. Arthropods, particularly insects, make ideal subjects for such a study because their generation times are characteristically short and many have relatively discrete generations, inviting the use of difference equation models to describe population changes. Using analytical models framed in difference equations, Dr. Hassell is able to show how the detailed biological processes of insect predator-prey (including host-parasitoid) interactions may be understood.

Emphasizing the development and subsequent stability analysis of general models, the author considers in detail several crucial components of predator-prey models: the prey's rate of increase as a function of density, non-random search, mutual interference, and the predator's rate of increase as a function of predator survival and fecundity. Drawing on the correspondence between the models and field and laboratory data, Dr. Hassell then discusses the practical implications for biological pest control and suggests how such models may help to formulate a theoretical basis for biological control practices.

Insects as Natural Enemies: A Practical Perspective

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Insects as Natural Enemies: A Practical Perspective

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Book Description

Over the past three decades there has been a dramatic increase in theoretical and practical studies on insect natural enemies. The appeal of insect predators, and parasitoids in particular, as research animals derives from the relative ease with which many species may be cultured and experimented with in the laboratory, the simple life cycles of most parasitoids, and the increasing demand for biological pest control.

There is now a massive literature on insect natural enemies, so there is a great need for a general text that the enquiring student or research worker can use in deciding on approaches and techniques that are appropriate to the study and evaluation of such insects. This book fulfils that demand. A considerably updated and expanded version of a previous best-seller, it is an account of major aspects of the biology of predators and parasitoids, punctuated with information and advice on which experiments or observations to conduct, and how to carry them out. Guidance is provided, where necessary, on the literature that may need to be consulted on particular topics.

While researchers can now refer to several books on parasitoids and predators, Insects as Natural Enemies is unique in emphasising practicalities. It is aimed at students and professional working in universities and both government and commercial institutes in the fields of pest management, agriculture, horticulture and forestry.

Interactions of Plant Resistance and Parasitoids and Predators of Insects (Ellis Horwood Series in Acarology)

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Interactions of Plant Resistance and Parasitoids and Predators of Insects (Ellis Horwood Series in Acarology)

Manufacturer: Ellis Horwood
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

The use of natural enemies to control agricultural pests: Proceedings of International Seminar [on] the Use of Parasitoids and Predators to Control Agricultural ... Japan, October 2-7, 1989 (FFTC book series)

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The use of natural enemies to control agricultural pests: Proceedings of International Seminar [on] the Use of Parasitoids and Predators to Control Agricultural ... Japan, October 2-7, 1989 (FFTC book series)

Manufacturer: Food and Technology Center for the Asian and Pacific Region
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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ASIN: 9579539014

Book Description

Achieve your life goals with SELF-DIRECTED BEHAVIOR! With abundant strategies based on research, this psychology text guides you through exercises for developing skills in self-analysis and teaches you how to apply these skills in different settings. Case examples demonstrate how other students have successfully used the book's techniques, including one student who used shaping to gradually increase her ability to study, and another who learned to be more sure of himself on dates by consciously modeling a friend's confident behavior.

Customer Reviews:

very helpful.......2007-09-26

This book is very clear and helpful, especially for those who are unfamiliar with behavior modification techniques. It provides a great introduction to self-regulation with many typical self-change examples, such quitting smoking, alcoholism, and many other topics too. I suggest picking up a copy of this if you are serious about changing a behavior with a scientific approach in a step by step process.

Don't know why this isnt a self help best seller.......2007-05-13

Pretty much the best self help book I have ever read. Watson takes a scientific approach and gives you instructions on how to change any behavior you'd like.

Self-Directed Behavior: Self-Modification for Personal Adjustment

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Owner's Manual for the Human Mind
Don't listen to the bad reviews
a superficial treatment of a complex subject
self help book that really seemed to help
Behavior is not Being, don't feel threatened.

Self-Directed Behavior: Self-Modification for Personal Adjustment
David L. Watson , and Roland G. Tharp
Manufacturer: Wadsworth Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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This effective self-help book presents a workable set of skills that readers can use for tackling their own self-modification programs, whether it be to improve self-confidence in dating, control overeating, implement and exercise program, or give up smoking. The authors' goal is to teach the basic skills necessary for readers to modify the behavior of their own choice, (66%-84% of the students employing these methods have achieved their self-change goals according to published studies in the literature). Once students have applied the principles to a behavior, they'll find it easier to use the skills in different settings.

Customer Reviews:

Owner's Manual for the Human Mind.......2006-10-15

If I were told I could only own one book, this would be it. I came across it in a library 15 years ago and purchased each new addition since. I have done many, many successful self improvement projects with it. It does take work and time to learn and practice the skills but the results are worth it. The techniques are based on Scientific Fact. Scientific Facts are repeatable and verifiable. Learn them, use them and they work, period. It is also a fact that the only way to fail using the techniques in this book is to not use them. This book has helped me make some profound changes in my behavior and achieve some pretty amazing goals. I recommend this book to anyone who can read and wants to better themselves. It is best to have your own copy because you will more than likely be reading it over and over, making personal notes in the margins about your behavior and your projects. You don't just read this book, you read and do it, read it again, make some adjustment, reread it, do it, etc. Borrow the money if you have too, better yet sell your TV to get the money, but buy this book! Good luck. P.S. If you have come across a better book email me I'd like to read it.

Don't listen to the bad reviews.......2006-05-20

I first had to read this for a college class and at the time I thought the same way some of the negative reviewers did -- Its boring, its "common sense". But the more I encountered situations with friends and family where I thought "you know this is something you could easily control with a behavioral therapy plan" the more I realized that what the professor I had said was true -- If you just skim the book without trying to apply the principles, it won't mean much to you. But if you think of it practically (and try a project of some kind yourself) you'll realize the power of it. Most people get discouraged when they try to change themselves because they try to do too much at once. Taking baby steps IS common sense, but if its so easy and anyone knew how to do it, we'd all be exactly the people we want to be, now wouldn't we?

I recommend this book to EVERYONE who says "I wish I could do this" or "I wish I didn't always think like that". If you want to change and you're willing to sit down, make a good plan, and follow through with it, this method will work for you. If you don't really want to change, or you don't believe you can, then you'll fail and it isn't the method's fault.

a superficial treatment of a complex subject.......2006-02-26

This text is suitable for high school or introductory college psychology classes.

self help book that really seemed to help.......2002-01-06

This book is a step by step instruction guide of how to think before you act, which is easier said than done. It helped me to learn how to recognize when I'm starting a pattern behavior and opened up my mind up to thinking ahead of time different various ways to cope or react. I would recommend reading this book once all the way through & then going back more slowly and going through one chapter at a time while writing out your journal. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to make a change but doesn't know where or how to start.

Behavior is not Being, don't feel threatened........2001-09-23

This book is great for changing behaviors that are non-productive. As a former reviewer stated, it does require you to be much tougher with yourself than the usual self-help book. It also demands action, which is where most people have trouble. It is one thing to say you want to change something, but quite another to get off your bottom and do it!
I do not think you need to be "science-minded" to get the drift of this book. I find the scientific method laughable in much of the research, especially in psychology, where it has supposedly found "proof". What you have to be is willing to change your behavior. In my view, behavior does not constitute character. I could do without the smoking and the anxiety. I would never define myself as a smoker or an anxious person. The suggestions in the book simply make you more efficient at being the person you were meant to be. You take care of the lower processes then you can put your higher processing to work-meaning your thoughts, ambitions, dreams, goals, etc. Take the plunge, you won't be sorry. If it seems too simple, it's because it IS simple. Some of us could use the reminder. Just do it.

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Self-Directed Behavior; Self-Modification for Personal Adjustment
David L.; Tharp, Roland G. Watson
Manufacturer: Brooks/Cole Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NXRWIM

Instructor's manual for Watson and Tharp's Self-directed behavior : self-modification for personal adjustment

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Instructor's manual for Watson and Tharp's Self-directed behavior : self-modification for personal adjustment
David L Watson
Manufacturer: Brooks/Cole Pub. Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B00071TFDU

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Self-Directed Behavior : Self-Modification for Personal Adjustment
David L. ; Tharp, Roland G. Watson
Manufacturer: Brooks / Cole Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O5ZW04

Average customer rating:

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