Book Club

Who Am I? The 16 Basic Desires That Motivate Our Actions and Define Our Personalities

By Steven Reiss, Ph.D.
2000, Jeremy P Tarcher/Putnam, ISBN: 1-58542-045-X

Is it time for a new assessment tool in career counselling? This one is sure to garner some attention. Steven Reiss, a professor of psychology and psychiatry at Ohio State University, has developed a rather compelling theory of self-motivated behavior through extensive research and testing (psychometrists take note: his research process is outlined in this book).

Building on the work of pleasure theorists, who believe that humans take action to maximize pleasure and minimize pain, Reiss has furthered this theory of human motivation by dividing “pleasure” into 2 types, pleasure sensations deriving from wealth, looks and good health (pleasure based, he says, on “good fortune”), and value-based pleasure or happiness, which results when one’s desires are fulfilled, when something happens that is personally meaningful. The key to attaining this type of happiness varies from person to person because of personal differences in desires and values.

Through research, he has categorized value-based pleasure (desires) into sixteen types such as Independence (self-reliance), Order (organization), Idealism (social justice), Vengeance (getting even), Curiosity (knowledge), and so on. Each person has a different hierarchy of desires, which motivates individual behavior.

Part One of the book describes these 16 basic desires and shows individuals how to come up with their own profiles.

Part Two explains and analyzes the different desires with respect to relationships, career, family, and spirituality. Reiss shows readers how they might fulfill their desires, based on their particular profiles. For example, he suggests careers which will likely satisfy each of the desires, (and shows jobs to avoid) and he even includes a chapter on relating with co-workers and bosses. The chapter “Choosing a Fulfilling Career” and a discussion entitled “Is Changing My Job Worth the Risk?” will be of particular interest for career practitioners, while the entire book will be interesting for anyone interested in personality theory or self-assessment.

Career Counseling of College Students : An Empirical Guide in Strategies That Work

By Darrell Anthony Luzzo, PhD
2000, American Psyhological Association
ISBN:1-55798-708-4

Career practitioners working with college students will want to update their resources with this new book out of the APA (order online at www.apa.org). Devoted exclusively to career development theory, research and practice with the college population, Career Counseling of College Students presents over 200 proven and practical counselling strategies particular to this group. Contributing authors examine the advantages and disadvantages of career classes and workshops, the emotional and spiritual aspects of career choice, and the use of the internet and computers in career counselling. This research-based compendium also includes information on counselling specific groups like athletes, minority students and returning adults. An excellent, up-to-date sourcebook which addresses the latest challenges for college-level counsellors.

How About Mixing Business With Pleasure with New Books about Work:

Waiting: The True Confessions of a Waitress
By Debra Ginsberg
2000, Harper Collins
ISBN: 0060194790

For a taste of life on the other side of the table (perhaps something your clients are familiar with), or an empathetic and inspiring voice for your clients in the service industry, Waiting is an honest and entertaining account of the 20 years Ginsberg worked as a waitress, before she embarked on a full-fledged writing career. Described as “part memoir, part social commentary,” this richly-textured book shows how working at what is generally considered a low-level job is just as meaningful as any other profession –she has filled a book with her observations of human nature, interpersonal relationships, and the unique frustrations of a position which is often filled by people ‘waiting’ to move on to something else. And yes, there’s behind the scenes info on what really happens in the kitchen, too.

Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs at the Turn of the Millenium
Marisa Bowe, John Bowe, Sabin C. Streeter, Daron Murphy, Rose Kernochan, Editors.
2000, Crown Publishing Group
ISBN: 0609605887

The compilation of more than 120 interviews conducted across the United States, Gig is a funny, intelligent and eye-opening look at what it’s really like to work as an accountant/dog walker/psychiatrist…and more. The roots of this book lie in a popular weekly column on the site of Word.com, a hip, general-interest online magazine. Contributors to the book range from Hollywood sitcom stars and supermodels to part-time workers and low-income earners. The changing work-world is captured in the richly-textured personal experiences of these individuals, whose interviews are presented in very easy, very fun to read monologues of 4 to 5 pages each. The refreshing thing about this book is that it’s completely non-scientific, without any overarching methodology or analysis…it’s simply a person by person account of how people manage to make a living, and how those jobs affect the rest of their lives.