Who Am I?: The 16 Basic Desires That Motivate Our Behavior and Define Our Personality - Hardcover

Reiss Ph.D., Steven

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 158542045X ISBN 13: 9781585420452

Publisher: Tarcher, 2000

Synopsis

Revealing the sixteen basic desires underpinning human behavior, the author, a noted professor of psychology and psychiatry, challenges sacrosanct assumptions about the nature of human identity.

About this title

About the Author

Steven Reiss, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology and psychiatry at Ohio State University, as well as the director of the Nisonger Center for Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. His internationally acclaimed, influential research has been translated into more than a dozen languages and widely adopted by professionals and educators. Dr. Reiss lives in Columbus.

Reviews

In 1998, Ohio State University psychology professor Reiss developed the "Reissprofile," which plotted 16 basic desires that he claims motivate everyone's choices, actions and attitudes. Eschewing Erickson's stages of life and Maslow's pyramid of needs, Reiss surveyed over 6,000 people to identify the 16 factors that provide a more personalized "desires profile." Scoring high, low or average for each of the desires creates a unique description of an individual's sometimes hidden motivations. Reiss neglects to mention whether he made any comparisons between siblings or twins, but asserts that these desire levels are "genetically coded" and cannot be changed. If a strong desire leads one into trouble, he contends, understanding the motivating desire can direct the behavior into socially acceptable avenues (for instance, as when the street fighter turns professional boxer). It is easy for readers to identify and understand the desires for power, independence and curiosity. But a few of Reiss's categories are questionable, as when he fails to separate idealistic thinking from activist behavior. When discussing "romance," he implies that persons for whom sex is a high priority are also great lovers of art, music and beauty. While not the be-all and end-all of psychological study that Reiss claims it to be, this survey could be another useful tool in helping readers to understand themselves and to remedy what he calls "self-hugging" (believing that one's particular set of priorities isAor should beAeverybody's) and "not getting it" (an impasse of understanding between people with different desire profiles). (Aug.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Using a statistical procedure called "factor analysis," Reiss (psychology, Ohio State Univ.) has developed a set of desires, or motives, that he claims are basic to our behavior. He sees each person as having a unique profile, strongly motivated by some desires, less so by others. The book describes these desires (power, independence, curiosity, acceptance, order, idealism, social contact, family, and romance, among others) and explains how a person can satisfy them through relationships, work, sport, family life, and religion. These suggestions seem very obvious for the most part (if you have a strong desire to eat, get a job in the food industry), but the book is useful in emphasizing individuality and the importance of accommodating the motives of others. Although details of the 16-trait scheme can certainly be debated (the wish to produce art and music portrayed solely as a subsidiary of the desire for romance is particularly suspect), the procedures by which they were described and tested are well explained in lay readers' terms. "Categorize Yourself" books are perennial favorites, and this one is a cut above the rest in having some scientific validity. Recommended for public libraries.DMary Ann Hughes, Neill P.L., Pullman, WA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Tarcher
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 158542045X
• ISBN 13: 9781585420452
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 336