Book Review How Do You Compare? is a fun book, but we might end up improving our social skills and interpersonal relationships while we're enjoying it. While reading the newest book by psychologist Andrew Neil Williams, we're also likely to find some creative brainstorms popping into our minds. Since I'm a science nerd (and proud of it :-), my favorite section was the 34-page part entitled "How Clever Are You?" In addition to a discussion of the various kinds of intelligence, it contains a 37-question multiple-choice IQ test. How did I do? I found the analogies ("Island is to water, as ...") to be the easiest, and the number sequences (What number comes after 7, 12, 27, 72 ?) to be moderately difficult. I had the most difficulty with the diagram questions. Those got easier when I got the point -- I just had to keep reminding myself: I'm looking for patterns, imagining the mirror images those patterns, and observing which direction each pattern has moved as I skip from one picture to the next. 
Stereotypes are exposed for what they are ... sometimes true! "Do you wear glasses?" the author writes. "There is a strong correlation between nearsightedness and high IQ." [Page 31]
About the Author Besides testing yourself, you can read self-improvement suggestions relevant to each chapter. Find six ideas for improving the quality of one's love relationship [111-112], and a 12-point list outlining "The Path To Greater Happiness." [204-205] To see the "How Satisfying Is Your Relationship?" quiz and the accompanying text, please see the book excerpt on the next page . The book is written with humor. It has funny (and sometimes surprising) anecdotes throughout, and it's illustrated with captioned cartoons. At the same time, it's a real reference book for personal transformation, with a 12-page index. My teenage daughter, who enjoys creative writing, said she likes the chapter on creativity. Just imagine that -- a parent and a teenager having a new basis for a conversation, because they've read the same book. Book review by Mike Lepore for crimsonbird.com |
|
Please click here to check the book price and shipping information ... This is an Amazon.com link for How Do You Compare? by Andrew N. Williams ISBN 0-399-52951-9 / ISBN 0399529519 |
|
Table of Contents Preface ix Acknowledgements xi YOUR BRAIN POWER Measuring Your Mental Potential 1. How Clever Are You? 3 Omni IQ Test 8 2. How Creative Are You? 36 Wordsmith's Creativity Test 43 Engineer's Creativity Test 49 YOUR SOCIAL SKILLS How Well Do You Interact With Others? 3. How Healthy Is Your Relationship? 75 Measure of Relationship Satisfaction 80 Relationship Closeness Inventory 86 4. Are You a Good Lover? 113 Test of Sexual Opinions 118 Sexual Experiences and Desires Inventory 132 YOUR MOTIVATION How Well Do YOu Use Your Abilities? 5. How Happy Are You? 157 Satisfaction With Life Scale 162 Cheerfulness Test 168 Cheerfulness Test for a Friend 172 Peak Experiences Scale 184 6. Are You Lucky or Hardworking? 206 Internal-External Locus of Control 212 THE BIG PICTURE Using This Information Well 7. The Final Comparison 237 Personality Overview 240 Epilogue 252 References 253 Index 265 |
|
Book Description from the Publisher Are you Satisfactory? Average? Extraordinary? How Do You Compare? features scientifically devised personality tests designed by professional psychologists to help you evaluate who you are -- and where you stand compared to the rest of the world. Free of professional jargon, each brief test is a fun way to analyze and better understand yourself. Getting your results is only half the fun -- you can also see how you stack up against thousands of others. And, if your test results aren't satisfactory, helpful hints for self-improvement are scattered throughout every chapter. Discover yourself through self-tests in:
|
|
Please click here for current price and shipping information ... This is an Amazon.com link for How Do You Compare? by Andrew N. Williams ISBN 0-399-52951-9 / ISBN 0399529519 |