Redirect: Changing the Stories We Live By Paperback – Illustrated, January 6, 2015

There are lots of insights in this book I happen to like - hence the stars of excellence. Here are some.What I like first about this social psychology book is that it is firmly and soundly "evidence-based". We are all paid-up (armchair) social psychologists, of course, so "plausibility" and "common sense" have been the name of the "self-help" and "finger wagging" game so far. Received opinions are mostly bunk, the author shows with great glee, if nothing else because they rely, at best, on anecdotes (moralistic ideology is even worse). Anecdotes include a high dose of context - change the context and the anecdotal rule splashes into the murky waters of unsupported "beliefs". Add, for good measure, a hefty dose of "post hoc, propter hoc", and one gets the perfect recipe for patent bromides - and misery for victims. And, like alcohol, such well-meaning "help" tends to be addictive. Under the circumstances, anyone who voluntarily submits himself to the constraints of "evidence based" social programs is a hero in my eyes - even should his insights look - to us arm-chair know-it-all - trivial, or counter-intuitive. I'm not saying that "evidence-based" programs are always better, but the enforced restraint is at least consistent with the Galenic Oath: First, do no harm - to people, and to the public budget.The second thing I like about this book is that it aims for enhanced "sense of purpose" - not compliant behavior - in the person the intervention wants to help. This sets the book apart from the self-help literature, which promises "success". "Sense of purpose" is what Aristotle called eudaimonia, and the Ancient Romans called "virtue". Funny thing, the term "virtue" - singular, mind you! - has gone out of fashion: no one preaches it any more. It has been replaced by "values", which intends compliant behavior to external (even revealed) rules. Recognizing individual diversity, and the need for self-worth, virtue aims to let the individual see one's life as "whole" - take responsibility for it - and leaves her flexibility (nay, unpredictable creativity) in how to achieve it. Uncertainty in future behavior of course scares all moralists. It is also deeply alien to the market system, which preaches "division of labor" and thus dependence on experts in all matters not related to one's productivity within the labour force.The third thing I like is the idea that "small changes in the internal narratives" can have huge effects on outcome. Such a small change can set people on a "virtuous path" of enhanced self-worth. This does not surprise me - for good or bad we do change our minds at the drop of a hat. For good: in five thousand years we have rushed from Neolithic to post-modern. In any other species such change would have taken eons. For bad: we imagine the worst, and act accordingly - against ourselves, or others. As a corollary of the idea that small changes "work": such small changes can be applied throughout one's life - gone is the idea that infancy is destiny (though it is certainly a central aspect).The fourth thing I like is the stress on "hard work" on oneself - which is not straining, or getting lost in technique. Even "virtuous cycles" need nourishing and replenishing. Hard work closes the loop to virtue and sense of purpose. But Musashi - as an example of Asian thinking - had said it 400 years ago: "Practice day and night in order to attain an ever deeper principle, and spontaneously come upon science". "Spontaneity" is the inner freedom one experiences with elation after the long slog of hard work - or the achievement of a "sense of purpose".The final thing is the advice: "go at it softly". Too much incentive (praise, for instance) somehow screws up the signal; this adjunct becomes the central reason for change in behavior. The core message no longer gets internalized properly."Small changes in internal narratives" also would seem to set limits, however, to the effectiveness of programs, which aim to inject them into individuals. Small changes can defeat a self-defeating internal narrative - right so far. But why does it remain steady after that, rather than evolve randomly in response to other small changes? It somewhat strains believability to imagine that writing an essay may have statistically measurable effects six months down the line. But this is simply an invitation to the author to continue in his "evidence based" research. Many more surprises lay in store.

This is a very challenging book to review: after all, it's written by a prominent university professor, endorsed by many other professors, and given superlative reviews here at Amazon.com, where (inexplicably) it is described as a extraordinary masterpiece capable of personal transformation of the reader. Moreover, one of the recurring messages of the book is that the author wields the power of scientific study, with the implication that the rest of us are unqualified to disagree since we're incapable of conducting randomized studies of our own from the comfort of our living rooms. Therefore, I go out on a limb a bit with this negative review, so I ask for some indulgence from the reader as I proceed.Perhaps it is not entirely Timothy Wilson's fault that his book has been hideously misrepresented and grossly overhyped in the Amazon.com review,but the same unjustified and fulsome paean of praise appears on the back and inside covers of the book itself, and that's the reason I bought and read the book, but the bottom line is that this is an abysmal book for anyone looking for guidance as to personal change, although it serves well as a readable, though incomplete, social psychology textbook. In short, many readers such as myself have been "misdirected" into buying copies of "Redirect." Here's why.Most psychotherapists practice the techniques of "cognitive therapy" (sometimes referred to as "cognitive-behavioral therapy"), a method of counseling intended to reduce or "reframe" the patient's negative, crippling, disempowering views of themselves and their worlds. You need to be a licensed mental health professional to practice cognitive therapy. Academics and social scientists who are not licensed cannot practice therapy, but the author here describes the same methods as cognitive therapy under the label "story editing" (alternatively at times "story prompting"). "Story editing" is not really very different from "cognitive therapy" as the author himself acknowledges on page 13 of the book; rather it is the non-clinical equivalent of cognitive therapy for those not licensed to practice therapy. Thus, the reader interested in personal change is better off 'redirected' to books about cognitive therapy. Read this book only if you want to read about how to address societal ills such as teen pregnancy, campus drinking, social prejudice, and how to deter at-risk youths from delinquency. Most of the book is about these social problems, and very little is about personal change and transformation. If you bought this book based on the lavish reviews looking for personal insight, you probably felt, as I did, ripped off once you got into the meat of it and realized you were reading hundreds of pages of studies of the efficacy of social intervention programs.After an introductory chapter, there is a chapter describing the experimental method to lay persons. This chapter on scientific methodology will be irrelevant to individuals already trained in science, and rather tedious to untrained individuals. This chapter is also problematic in that it conveys the message that only those who conduct randomized scientific studies may judge which programs are worthwhile and which are not. I won't take a position arguing against scientific inquiry, but I do note that from this point on, Wilson has established himself as the authority on how to cure society's ills and anyone who dares to disagree is implicitly labeled as speaking from bias or ignorance. After this tedious chapter, there are the following chapters, with the author's primary recommendations, for anyone interested in pursing the details in the book itself:Achieving personal happiness: Wilson recommends that you find personal meaning in your life (p.49) and that you make a lot of friends in order to build strong social connections (p.51). Of course, neither of these recommendations are original.Raising healthy kids: the author recommends that you: don't label your kids, don't spoil them with material things, and be sure to praise them when they make an effort at things (p.102).The problem of teen pregnancy: encourage community service work because girls who get involved in volunteer work feel better about themselves and don't need to get pregnant to feel that way (p.131).Campus alcohol abuse: college kids drink primarily because they overestimate how much other kids drink, which gives them encouragement and permission to drink more themselves (p.168).Juvenile delinquency: keep at-risk kids away from other at-risk kids (p.153).Social and racial prejudice: treat all people as equals (p.199) and include minorities in photo shoots for company newsletters (p.233).In sum, what is interesting in this book is not new, and re-labeling cognitive therapy as "story editing" does not in any sense make a unique or valuable contribution to the clinical psychology or self-help literature. The reviews and hype implying that this book is a valuable contribution toward achieving personal insight and growth are, in my opinion, misleading. Those looking for the latter might consider instead Martin Seligman's "Learned Optimism" or "Authentic Happiness", or Michigan State University's Gershen Kaufman's books on building self-esteem and 'personal power.' I am sure I will be unceremoniously castigated for disagreeing with academia but these are my views and I'm sticking with them!

This is a brilliant book. One of my favourites (and I've read thousands). Yes, the title may not be clear, but the content is compelling. Wilson looks hard at programmes that have been intended to reduce things like drug abuse, teenage pregnancy and violence, and shows that many such efforts, despite massive funding, essentially fail.He has also found programmes that work, and has uncovered the inner secret of these: to change how people behave, you must change the story that they tell themselves about their own lives. This little sentence is a nugget of pure gold.I hope governments read this book - they could save a lot of both people and money. You, too, could benefit, when you want to persuade others and, importantly, help your children to avoid some of the pitfalls of life and become successful adults.

It is amazing how small, simple nudges can redirect thoughts and behaviours on a fundamental level. This book is a great read for most humans. It has a chapter for you if you are in pursuit of real contentment, loads of trustworthy advice for parents of kids at all ages and it is a must if you are an administrator with progressive motivations for your community or organisation

Sold as in 'good' condition when it was infact extremely worn. I would not have paid the price asked if I'd been aware of the damage.

An unusual and thought provoking book that looks at the power of storying to change human behavior

Interesting read. Probably best suited to parents though as much of it deals with teenage behaviour.