Engelska

Humans have built hugely complex societies and technologies, but most of us don't even know how a pen or a toilet works. How have we achieved so much despite understanding so little? Cognitive scientists Steven Sloman and Philip Fernbach argue that we survive and thrive despite our mental shortcomings because we live in a rich community of knowledge. The key to our intelligence lies in the people and things around us. We're constantly drawing on information and expertise stored outside our heads: in our bodies, our environment, our possessions, and the community with which we interact-and usually we don't even realize we're doing it.<br/><br/>The human mind is both brilliant and pathetic. We have mastered fire, created democratic institutions, stood on the moon, and sequenced our genome. And yet each of us is error prone, sometimes irrational, and often ignorant. The fundamentally communal nature of intelligence and knowledge explains why we often assume we know more than we really do, why political opinions and false beliefs are so hard to change, and why individual-oriented approaches to education and management frequently fail. But our collaborative minds also enable us to do amazing things. <i>The Knowledge Illusion</i> contends that true genius can be found in the ways we create intelligence using the community around us.

In the early 1990s two sets of experiences coincided and eventually resulted in the development of Marte Meo and Co-ordination Meetings (MAC). The first concerned my experience of inter-agency effectiveness in Sweden. In my work as an external supervisor and trainer in my hometown I often came across the same children, but in different professional contexts. They and their families had been referred to different agencies and the reason for the referral was often a teacher who expressed her concern about the child s development. The school often described these children as having interaction and learning problems. It was also common that the agencies to whom the children were referred the Social Services, Child Guidance Clinics, agencies for children with special needs etc. did not share the school s definition of the problem. This was sometimes true even for the child s parents. However, the general consensus from the professionals was that the family should receive some form of help, and that this work would then (hopefully) result in the child performing better in school. It could also be that the different agencies disagreed in their evaluation of the seriousness of the child s problem or whose responsibility it was to help. More than once I witnessed schools and other agencies criticise each other, each of them often questioning the way in which the other defined and carried out their professional responsibilities. This kind of experience strengthened the conviction that there must surely be a fairly simple and practical way for the agencies created by society in order to protect and ensure children s safety and development to co-operate more effectively, and use their resources and knowledge in a more co-ordinated fashion. Another clearly observed pattern was that when the parents of the child did not share the professional s view of the child s need for support, the resulting conflict often stopped the child from receiving any kind of support. A short history 0-titel-innehall-x.indd 7 2013-02-11 19.01 8 The second was coming into contact with and learning the videobased model named Marte Meo. I helped introduce Marte Meo into Sweden in the late eighties and although at that time nothing was known (more than anecdotal evidence) regarding the effectiveness of the model, it quickly became apparent that there was a great deal of interest to implement it in different professional settings. A colleague and friend Professor Kjell Hansson constantly reminded me about the lack of evidence, and in particular what he said was my lack of responsibility in introducing a model whose effectiveness was unknown. His friendly pressure was very helpful, and the decision was made to research the model and its effectiveness. These two sets of experiences were the starting point of what later became MAC. One of the core ideas that form the foundation of MAC is that the child can be offered help in that context where her problem is first observed and identified in this case, the school. In practice, this means that when the school seeks contact with parents, it is to ask for their consent so that the teacher can get extra help in the classroom to better support their child. Succeeding experience has shown that few parent turns down this offer. In the early stages of planning a pilot-project it became apparent that some kind of social construction a story or narrative that could be accepted by all parts was needed to keep the system of school and parents co-ordinated, and create a co-operative frame. Such a frame would help elicit the parents blessing in the school s attempt to support their children, and offer the school a rationale that would justify the extra expenditure of time and energy in the classroom. The idea of how this should happen in practice was initially rather foggy, and it proved to be a stroke of luck to invite psychologist Ulf Axberg, Ph. D. to help with the creation of this part of the project. He brought both theoretical and practical clarity with him, and researched the work, and eventually wrote his doctoral dissertation on the project. Kjell Hansson has continued to offer his invaluable collaboration during MAC s development over time, as well as to the ongoing research designed to determine its effectiveness. He has been a constant discussion partner and has given constructive feedback throughout the writing process. Ingegerd Wirtberg

<p>The blueprint for our individuality lies in the 1% of DNA that differs between people. Our intellectual capacity, our introversion or extraversion, our vulnerability to mental illness, even whether we are a morning person - all of these aspects of our personality are profoundly shaped by our inherited DNA differences. In Blueprint, Robert Plomin, a pioneer in the field of behavioural genetics, draws on a lifetime&apos;s worth of research to make the case that DNA is the most important factor shaping who we are. Our families, schools and the environment around us are important, but they are not as influential as our genes. This is why, he argues, teachers and parents should accept children for who they are, rather than trying to mould them in certain directions. Even the environments we choose and the signal events that impact our lives, from divorce to addiction, are influenced by our genetic predispositions. Now, thanks to the DNA revolution, it is becoming possible to predict who we will become, at birth, from our DNA alone. As Plomin shows us, these developments have sweeping implications for how we think about parenting, education, and social mobility. A game-changing book by a leader in the field, Blueprint shows how the DNA present in the single cell with which we all begin our lives can impact our behaviour as adults.</p>

<p>Robert Greene is a master guide for millions of readers, distilling ancient wisdom and philosophy into essential texts for seekers of power, understanding and mastery. Now he turns to the most important subject of all - understanding people&apos;s drives and motivations, even when they are unconscious of them themselves. We are social animals. Our very lives depend on our relationships with people. Knowing why people do what they do is the most important tool we can possess, without which our other talents can only take us so far. Drawing from the ideas and examples of Pericles, Queen Elizabeth I, Martin Luther King Jr, and many others, Greene teaches us how to detach ourselves from our own emotions and master self-control, how to develop the empathy that leads to insight, how to look behind people&apos;s masks, and how to resist conformity to develop your singular sense of purpose. Whether at work, in relationships, or in shaping the world around you, The Laws of Human Nature offers brilliant tactics for success, self-improvement, and self-defence.</p>

<p><b>How can we realise and actualise love, reason and meaningful, productive work? </b><br/><br/>If the Art of Being - the art of functioning as a whole person - can be considered the supreme goal of life, a breakthrough occurs when we move from narcissistic selfishness and egotism - from <i>having </i>- to psychological and spiritual happiness - <i>being</i>. <i>The Art of Being </i>remains one of the most important and sought-after works in the Fromm canon.<br/><br/>Fromm here offers a path to true wellbeing and a way of living based on authentic self-awareness that comes only through honest self-analysis. He warns of the pitfalls of our attaining enlightenment without effort, or believing that life can be lived without pain. The tantalising 'spiritual smorgasbord' offered by our consumer-oriented world, Fromm maintains, only feeds our illusions of 'easy awareness'. Confronting the <i>psycho-gurus </i>who preach these shortcuts to enlightenment, Fromm offers another way to self-awareness through meditation rather than material gain.<br/><br/>This volume is a sequel to one of Erich Fromm's most popular works, <i>To Have or to Be</i>. In this book, Fromm examines the true paths - as opposed to false directions - that will lead us to self-knowledge and enlightenment. This edition, commemorating thirty years since the first English publication of <i>The Art of Being, </i>features an updated introduction from editor Rainer Funk.</p>

In Psychometrics: An Introduction, R. Michael Furr centres his presentation of material around a conceptual understanding of psychometric issues, such as validity and reliability, and on purpose rather than procedure, the "why" rather than the "how to." By emphasizing concepts over mathematical proofs and by focusing on practical significance, this book assists students in appreciating not just how measurement problems can be addressed, but why it is important to address them. Key features: Presents information in a clear, easy-to-read, conversational style Highlights practical applications Offers an up-to-date treatment of topics in psychometrics Introduces statistical procedures in the context of their use rather than in a separate chapter Online ResourcesFree PowerPoint (R) slides for instructors are available with this text.

<p>Daily doses of wisdom from the master of self-development.</p>