Mind and Mood : Understanding and Controlling Your Emotions

Defines various emotions, discussing why we have them, the nervous and endocrine systems, body language, behavior modification, and the health problems our emotions can cause.

Grade 7 UpMind and Mood is an overview of the basic psychology of emotions, covering physical causes and effects, theories and research, psychotherapy, and personality testing. There are a few simple, well-labeled illustrations which expand upon information contained in the text. Words appearing in boldface are defined in some detail in the glossary. The title of this book is misleading; Mind and Mood contains little information on understanding or controlling the emotional upheavals of adolescence. The final chapter contains 11 guidelines for emotional health; the bulk of the text is a dry-as-dust introduction to psychology. While it would be an adequate resource for research papers, this book offers no new information. A more down-to-earth, readable approach to weathering the teen years is Eda LeShan's You and Your Feelings (Macmillan, 1975). Lucy Young Clem, Evansville-Vanderburgh County Public Library, Ind.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Among this book's strengths is its historical approach to emotions, ranging from Biblical and ancient Greek observations of human feelings to Darwinian explanations. To show the relationship between mind and body, internist Curtis uses unique cases such as "Tom's Stomach," in which doctors literally had a window into the coloration of one man's emotions. He also deftly shows emotion's rich spectrum, e.g., how trepidation, fear, dread, terror, panic and horror differ from each other. Sections covering psychotherapy, behavior modification, endocrines and the nervous system are commonly found in other volumes; the chapter on personality tests is fresh and will be of interest. A weakness, however, is Curtis's distant, formal tone, that doesn't make contact with the individual reader.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.