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Title: Battling the Inner Dummy: The Craziness of Apparently Normal People by David L. Weiner, Gilbert M. Hefter ISBN: 1-57392-747-3 Publisher: Prometheus Books Pub. Date: October, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $19.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.63 (19 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Battling the Inner Dummy : The Craziness of Apparently Norma
Comment: A friend and I were discussing President Clinton's foibles when I asked, "What was he thinking?" My friend said, "Funny you should say that" and recommended Dave Weiner's book. Psychoanalysis is not my thing, however, I found "Battling the Inner Dummy" to be an enjoyable and stimulating read that provides an interesting perspective as to why seemingly intelligent and rational people do stupid things. I really liked the book.
Rating: 2
Summary: Interesting theory, tedious delivery
Comment: Weiner's theory that much of our so-called 'irrational' behavior has its roots in the limbic system is interesting. However, the weakness of his theory, as well as this book, is his insistence on applying it willy-nilly to every example of irrationality he comes across, while failing to acknowledge the countless examples of people who don't display irrational behavior. One of the 'proofs' he gives is several examples of his valiant efforts to drone on about his theory at parties or on airplanes, only to find that people either leave or stare at him and then change the subject. Weiner interprets this as proof that people can't comprehend the mind-boggling implications of what he's saying. A more likely explanation is this: staring and changing the subject is one of the only ways to deal with someone who's trying his darndest to hijack the conversation. Frankly, this entire book read like a conversation with someone who only has one idea and who can't let go of it or see that there are serious flaws with his theory. I also agree with the other reviewers who suggest skipping the Freud segments. Everything else aside, they're tedious, poorly written and illustrate nothing that wasn't repeated several times in the text proper.
Rating: 1
Summary: 400 pages of type, including 2 pages of subject content
Comment: Did you know that the human brain has been analyzed as having three compartments? According to this analysis, the innermost brain, inherited from our reptilian ancestors, houses the most basic instincts. The next layer, inherited from our earliest mammalian ancestors, is called the limbic system. This section houses the emotions. The outermost layer, developed still later, is called the neocortex. This section houses our higher thinking skills.
If you didn't know that before, do you understand it now? If so, then you have just read pages 38 and 39 of "Battling the Inner Dummy." So you know all the author has to say about the triune brain.
Throughout the rest of the book, the author talks about everything under the sun. One chapter is an introductory course on Abnormal Psychology. Another chapter introduces us to the Theory of Relativity. In three more chapters, we get an overview of psychotherapy techniques. For reasons known only to himself, the author devises 10-point scales for various personality traits. There is also an extended scenario in which Freud comes back as a consultant for an advertising campaign. You might find it entertaining, you might think it's kyootsee-kyoot.
Here are some important questions which Weiner gives only a cursory glance:
Why are male heterosexuality and female heterosexuality so different? Men patronize prostitutes and porno magazines, whereas women patronize drugstore novels. A look at our primeval past can answer this question.
Why are people attracted to illegal drugs? Why are people attracted to foods which overdose on sugar, salt, and fat? Probably because such stimuli did not make their appearance soon enough in the history of the human brain.
The remaining questions Weiner does not discuss at all:
Why is there so much misunderstanding between women and men? Women exhort men to be honest about their feelings, but to no avail. Men refuse to ask for directions when they are lost, much to women's distress. These questions, too, can be answered in terms of the triune brain.
Why does a schoolteacher see the classroom as a battleground and see the students as enemies? Probably because the schoolteacher is clicking on the wrong section of the brain.
Why is one person so often proud of another person's accomplishment? When a citizen from your hometown wins a big competition, the whole town celebrates. Why should anyone else be proud when it was only that one person's accomplishment?
Likely because the citizens unconsciously think they are at war with everybody else.
Why are we so undiplomatic in expressing our opinions to a person who disagrees with us? After all, we want to influence the other person. Insulting and threatening that person will certainly not do the trick! Here again, our battle instincts come to the surface.
Why does prejudice rear its ugly head so often? Most likely because foreign language textbooks are a recent invention. If someone who looked and acted differently from you came up to you and said "Buenos dias," you wouldn't know WHAT that meant! The safest assumption is that it means "I'm going to eat you alive!"
What poses, gestures, and physical features make children cute, make women sexy, and make men manly? Lorenz (0674846303 and 0452011752), Tinbergen (1558210490), and Eibl-Eibesfeldt (0670167096 and 0416074804) have interesting answers to these questions, but Weiner apparently hasn't read about them.
If Weiner is so interested in psychological abnormalities, he could consider the effects of living in nuclear families while our inner brains are programmed for living in extended families. Many of our psychological problems--such as pedophilia--involve treating a person of one age or gender as we could more appropriately treat a person of another age or gender. It is reasonable to suggest that an upbringing in the presence of people of all ages and both genders could preclude such problems.
Why do liberals and conservatives fight an ongoing battle in many countries? Some animals are interdependent because they hunt in packs. Some animals are independent because they hunt alone. Some animals are half and half because they hunt both ways. That's why all dogs are Democrats, all cats are Republicans, and humans are half and half.
There is much to be said about evolutionary psychology. So why does Weiner say so little?
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