Tabla de contenidos provista por Syndetics

• The Politics of Capitalism and the Economics of Democracy(p. ix)
• Preface(p. xvii)
• 1 Present: Politics, Economics, and Democracy(p. 3)
• 2 Past: Citizens, Property, and the Clash of Rights(p. 27)
• 3 Economy: the Political Foundations of Production and Exchange(p. 64)
• 4 Structure: the Mosaic of Domination(p. 92)
• 5 Action: Learning and Choosing(p. 121)
• 6 Community: Language, Solidarity, and Power(p. 152)
• 7 Future: Postliberal Democracy(p. 176)
• Notes(p. 214)
• Index(p. 236)

Reseñas proporcionadas por Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Taylor (psychology, UCLA) offers a readable introduction to the idea that the mind orients the self toward health through illusory as well as more accurate perceptions of reality. While she presents nicely both the how's and why's of self-supporting fictive thinking, her treatment is limited both theoretically and socially, for she speaks from and to white middle-class Americans' social and psychological values, and neglects to address issues in the area of self-deception that James Hillman (among others) has presented to the public over the past 20 years. For undergraduate health and social psychology students, as well as interested lay readers.-- Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley P.L., Cal. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

The self-serving illusions we create about ourselves and the world may actually promote mental and physical well-being, according to UCLA professor Taylor ( Health Psychology ). Recovered cancer patients who believe they will never have a relapse, rape victims who claim newfound control and mastery over their social environment, and victims of disasters or life-threatening events all benefit from the benign fictions they invent, Taylor convincingly argues, citing clinical studies, interviews and surveys in support of her theory. Her excursion into the terrain of manic-depressive geniuses and mad poets sifts clues to mental factors that fuel creative enterprise. Closely argued, carefully annotated, this brief for restorative optimism builds from the dual premise that memory is selectively egocentric, and that our daily perceptions have a self-enhancing bias. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

CHOICE Review

This ambitious book by two economists draws on political and linguistic theory, history, and feminism to construct a social theory built on a critique of liberalism and Marxism. The scope but not the viewpoint recalls Joseph Schumpeter's Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy (1942). The evolution of capitalist liberal democracy is explained primarily in terms of contradictions in liberal discourse. The fragile unity of capitalism and liberal democracy is undermined by the rhetoric of personal rights, once directed at the state and now at corporate property rights. Fearing authoritarianism, the authors hope for radical democracy with decentralized, worker-controlled production. The authors view society as a series of overlapping, interdependent games, in which the rules (including language rules) are always at stake and in which the actors continually learn and grow. The rules always systematically give advantage to some players at the expense of others, but the advantages change during play. The book is tightly argued and thought-provoking and deserves careful attention from anyone interested in capitalism and liberal democracy. Highly recommended for graduate and upper division libraries.-S.D. Jacobitti, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville

Booklist Review

An intriguing study of research and theory suggests that "normal" people tend to have an unrealistically high opinion of themselves and the likelihood that their, and the world's, future will turn out well. It also notes in passing that depressed people tend to view their assets and shortcomings, and also the future, more realistically. The long-held definition of mental health as being closely in touch with reality may need to be overturned. Apparently, being unrealistically optimistic is healthier. Detailed, exhaustive, well-documented, Taylor's work is well worth reading for those deeply interested in the subject. The argument is convincing, and the theories advanced may have a far-reaching, dramatic effect upon many aspects of both mental and physical health. Notes, references; to be indexed. --Richard Mills

Notas de autor provistas por Syndetics

Shelley E. Taylor is a distinguished professor of psychology at UCLA and one of the country's leading scientists. She lives in Los Angeles.