The Vital Balance; the Life Process in Mental Health and Illness
by Karl Menninger
- Used
- Very Good
- Hardcover
- Condition
- Very Good/Good
- Seller
-
Saint Louis, Missouri, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
The Viking Press, January 1964. Hardcover. Very Good/Good.
Reviews
On Jun 4 2007, Learningaramaic said:
This wise book-- by one of the greatest psychodynamicly-oriented psychiatrists of the 20th century-- explores human psychosocial function as a "total system" years before Bertalanffy and the General Systems people made its approach into a rigorous discipline in mental health.
Simply put, what Dr. Menninger calls the "vital balance" is equivalent to the human potential for homeostasis in the psychic and social areas. There is nothing mystical or superstitious about this notion, albeit is is holistic and not reductionist.
What is not well-appreciated is that-- given enough inputs/outputs-- the "steady state" of the vital balance Menninger discusses can be described mathematically. BUT FEAR NOT ON THIS NOTICE! NOT A SINGLE MATH FORMULA APPEARS IN MENNINGER'S BOOK HERE, DESPITE THIS COMPLETE COMPLEMENTARITY IN HARD-SYSTEMS TERMINOLOGY.
THE VITAL BALANCE was pressed in 1963; while it was reprinted several times, I understand it can be obtained only in used-bookstores. Pity! This work was well-ahead-of-its-time upon pressing, and I consider it to be CUTTING-EDGE PSYCHIATRY unto this day. This work was the most-consistent and most-rigorous contribution by "Dr. Karl," as he is known at the Menninger Clinic-- is well-crafted theory fit for the family-systems practitioners, the quantifiers, and all in mental health who seek a comprehensive framework within which one can cast the PROCESS OF GETTING WELL PSYCHOLOGICALLY.
--Vernon Lynn Stephens, M.S.S.W.
D.S.M. IV # 350
F31.2
10:49 p.m. -- Monday, June 4, 2007
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Details
- Bookseller
- Dunaway Books (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 245677
- Title
- The Vital Balance; the Life Process in Mental Health and Illness
- Author
- Karl Menninger
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- Good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Publisher
- The Viking Press
- Date Published
- January 1964
Terms of Sale
Dunaway Books
30 day return guarantee, with full refund including shipping costs after delivery if an item arrives not as described or damaged.
About the Seller
Dunaway Books
Biblio member since 2011
Saint Louis, Missouri
About Dunaway Books
Dunaway Books is an absolutely necessary stop for the bibliophile on the Grand South Grand strip. Housed within an airy, spacious former gallery, we carry an unparalleled selection of fine used, out of print and rare volumes. Upon stepping into our store, you will find aisle after aisle of scrupulously collected books treating a broad variety of subjects in depth. We keep new small-press titles by local authors or about local subjects, children's books and shelves of CDs for music lovers. There is something here for everyone. Whether you have a few hours or just a few minutes to while away, Dunaway Books is designed to be an intellectually and creatively stimulating place for the scholar, the collector, and the good old-fashioned voracious reader.