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The Writer's Guide to Psychology: How to Write Accurately About Psychological Disorders, Clinical Treatment and Human Behavior
by
Carolyn Kaufman (Goodreads Author)
An accurate and accessible survey of modern psychological theory and practice, this reference offers professional writers practical advice for incorporating psychological elements into their work. Witheasy-to-understand explanations and definitions, this book is an invaluable resource for any writer wishing to add realistic details to scenes that depict psychologists, ment...more
Paperback, 232 pages
Published
December 1st 2010
by Linden Publishing
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Because authors tend to write about seriously flawed people, we often delve into the realm of psychology, intentionally or not. Stories in a wide array of genres feature psychologists, psychiatrists, psychopaths, schizophrenics, and any number of other characters that fall within the pale of modern psychology. Unfortunately, however, modern authors are too often guilty of taking their understanding of psychology at face value and running away with common misconceptions without a second thought....more
The Writer's Guide to Psychology is on a mission. Its title tells it all. Its goal is to provide writers with guidance to avoid making amateur mistakes when writing about psychopaths, serial killers and any number of mentally ill characters that flourish from a writer's imagination. This knowledge is not just for the fiction writer, but also for those writing nonfiction.
The Guide delineates psychological disorders and their treatments--both medical and psychotherapeutic in a comprehensive way. I...more
The Guide delineates psychological disorders and their treatments--both medical and psychotherapeutic in a comprehensive way. I...more
The premise behind The Writer’s Guide to Psychology by Carolyn Kaufman is brilliant. This book is perfect for anyone who’s writing a novel.
In chapter two (Why People Do What They Do), Carolyn discusses the different therapist stereotypes portrayed in films and novels. She then goes into the five different therapy orientations (e.g. psychodynamic therapy) and describes how each would be used to help a client overcome whatever issues he’s dealing with. But she takes it one step further by explain...more
In chapter two (Why People Do What They Do), Carolyn discusses the different therapist stereotypes portrayed in films and novels. She then goes into the five different therapy orientations (e.g. psychodynamic therapy) and describes how each would be used to help a client overcome whatever issues he’s dealing with. But she takes it one step further by explain...more
This was an okay read for me, somewhere between 2* and 2.5*.
A warning first, this is a very US-centric book. Quite a few of the statements do not fit countries with national health insurance systems. Contrary to Ms Kaufman's statement it is e.g. very easy to get committed to closed psychiatric wards in such countries, and it is very hard or often even impossible to get out again, especially if you've no family or friends able to act on your behalf.
That said, it is a solid reference book for basi...more
A warning first, this is a very US-centric book. Quite a few of the statements do not fit countries with national health insurance systems. Contrary to Ms Kaufman's statement it is e.g. very easy to get committed to closed psychiatric wards in such countries, and it is very hard or often even impossible to get out again, especially if you've no family or friends able to act on your behalf.
That said, it is a solid reference book for basi...more
Sometimes it seems everywhere you turn, the entertainment and book industry throws mentally disturbed characters at us. Dennis Lahane’s “Shutter Island,” both the book and the movie, are good examples of this: the federal agent visits a mental institution in the 1950’s to assist in the search for an escaped patient. Great story–the book AND the movie were definitely done right, entertainment-wise.
But what about factually? As a writer, I want to ensure that my works are as accurate as possible....more
But what about factually? As a writer, I want to ensure that my works are as accurate as possible....more
Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down. I had a feeling it was going to be good, but it was much better than I thought. In this book, Carolyn Kaufman wrote about psychological disorders in such an easy way that all readers would easily understand. I liked the way she explained about similar mental illnesses and how to tell the difference. Not only is this book a great resource for writers, but also for families with psychological disorders, and for anyone wanting to understand...more
An accurate and accessible survey of modern psychological theory and practice, this reference offers professional writers practical advice for incorporating psychological elements into their work. With easy-to-understand explanations and definitions, this book is an invaluable resource for any writer wishing to add realistic details to scenes that depict psychologists, mental illnesses and disorders, and psychotherapeutic treatments. Designed around the needs of professional fiction and nonficti...more
This is a wonderful resource for writers and for anyone else interested in psychology, particularly in the various disorders and treatments. Chapters tell how therapists are trained and how they work, describe the various problems people have and how they are treated and open the doors to what happens in a psych ward. Kaufman writes clearly and smoothly and addresses the needs of writers. She also includes numerous examples of books and movies where they got the psych details wrong and shows how...more
I think this is a really good, if brief, education about mental illness, personality disorders, therapy and psychiatry for the writer's eyes. The references to the screw-ups in real books and movies were an excellent feature. I would recommend this to any writer who felt they needed to know more about this topic. However, I did think it was repetitive at times, and it also focused only on what COMPETENT therapists would do. I've encountered incompetent clinicians in my time who did exactly the o...more
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The Writer's Guide to Psychology explains psychology and the clinical practice of psychology in clear, easy to understand chapters. While it's intended for writers, I think anyone wondering about the basics will find this book helpful. It gives examples of how the subject is treated in film and fiction, and shows how it was done right - or wrong. Highly recommended!
A decent reference to have on your desk, though a decent Google might reveal similar info for the lay-person. If you've had any interaction with the world of mental health either as a client or the caretaker of a patient/client, about half the book is redundant. If you've, say, been to therapy a few times and never seen a psychiatrist, it will clear up alot of assumptions and myths. If you want to write about the really disturbed (true villans, etc) I think the book is helpful. If you want to wr...more
I've got to add a disclaimer to this one and say I've spoken to Dr. Kaufman with regard to some of my characters.
But... this is an excellent addition to speaking to her. You've got everything in here to help you work out your character complexity when it comes to disorders etc.
Highly, highly recommended. And then some.
But... this is an excellent addition to speaking to her. You've got everything in here to help you work out your character complexity when it comes to disorders etc.
Highly, highly recommended. And then some.
Before I make too many more mistakes with those pesky psychological thriller storylines....JK, but this is good stuff!
I enjoyed this book. It's an excellent reference if you want to get the psychological issues in your story accurate. I personally feel the author is a little too pro-drug and pro-electroshock therapy for my tastes, but I acknowledge that a) sometimes they are necessary, and b) this is perhaps a personal taste thing. That issue aside, I recommend it for any writer who wants to delve into the demented, or just give their characters more flavor.
This book is an excellent reference for writers wanting to accurately portray characters who either have a mental condition or come into contact with people who do.
The book cuts through cliches, gives examples of wrong and right portrayal of mental health professionals, lists their education, explains the difference between a phychologist and a psychiatrist, between bipolar disorder and depression and schizofrenia, and much, much more.
The book cuts through cliches, gives examples of wrong and right portrayal of mental health professionals, lists their education, explains the difference between a phychologist and a psychiatrist, between bipolar disorder and depression and schizofrenia, and much, much more.
This is a must read for all writers.
A great resource for writers who are dealing with mental illness.
Most of the data was known to me already, but it's useful to have all in one place for easy reference. It's also kind of startling how many examples are given of published writers getting the psychology all wrong.
Most of the data was known to me already, but it's useful to have all in one place for easy reference. It's also kind of startling how many examples are given of published writers getting the psychology all wrong.
If you are a writer, this book is a must! I was thrilled to preview this book and found it useful and relevant to my career as a novelist. Well-written and concise, I recommend it to anyone wanting to accurately portray a character with psychological disorders.
Great little book to help writer's understand psychological disorders and accurately portray those characteristics in our writing. Give ideas for how to use the descriptions of disorders and how to apply those to character development.
May 12, 2013
Bill Silvia
marked it as to-read
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Henry
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Carolyn Kaufman's doctorate is in clinical psychology, and by day she uses it to teach psychology to college students.
Her book, THE WRITER'S GUIDE TO PSYCHOLOGY: How to Write Accurately About Psychological Disorders, Human Behavior, and Clinical Treatment (Quill Driver Books), is now available!
Dr. Kaufman blogs for Psychology Today and the QueryTracker Blog. She also runs Archetype Writing: Psyc...more
More about Carolyn Kaufman...
Her book, THE WRITER'S GUIDE TO PSYCHOLOGY: How to Write Accurately About Psychological Disorders, Human Behavior, and Clinical Treatment (Quill Driver Books), is now available!
Dr. Kaufman blogs for Psychology Today and the QueryTracker Blog. She also runs Archetype Writing: Psyc...more
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Mar 28, 2011 01:38pm
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