by Al Siebert
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Product Description
Who survives? Who thrives? As a psychologist who has spent more than 40 years studying the phenomenon of survival, Al Siebert shares both valuable insights and practical strategies in this book, painting a portrait of the "survivor personality" to show how these skills can lead to better coping in everyday life.
Amazon.com Review
When faced with adversity, tragedy, or just bad karma, what makes one person crumble, another survive, and another thrive? Al Siebert first became interested in this question when he discovered that World War II combat survivors were less like Sylvester Stallone in Rambo and more like Alan Alda playing Hawkeye, the irreverent M.A.S.H. surgeon. Years of subsequent research taught Seibert that those who survive (and thrive) often respond to challenge with humor, wisdom, and mental and emotional flexibility. No, life isn't fair, but Siebert shows us the tricks to regaining our stability in a world that seems hell-bent on knocking us off track.
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Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Great book!, 2008-08-01
I recently gave a review for the wrong book. My other review was for 'How to discipline your six to twelve year old without losing your mind. That was the review I submitted by mistake. Now I would like to recommend this book instead and I can certainly attest to the advice that is most welcome within these pages. It has helped me already, giving me more peace of mind, and it has allowed me to remain more calm and confident. I appreciate all the chapters and I wholly recommend this book to everyone who has strife in their life.
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
 Better, faster, stronger--but at what price?, 2008-06-24
Dr. Siegel is trying to drive home his point that a person, if prepared, can survive just about anything.
He likes Dr. Maslow very much, and, like Dr. Maslow, he would rather focus on mental health than mental illness. He dislikes schizophrenia in particular for reasons that are only explained in the very last chapter.
The most helpful parts are the lists of tactics regarding dealing with difficulties in the workplace. There are a couple of useless graphs. A large part of the rest is comprised of survivors' stories.
Things that nagged at me:
Dr. Siegel glosses over the costs of being a "survivor": Be the last man standing, when everyone else has been laid off! Keep your (and maybe even your family's) health just by willing illness away! Survive the Nazis by telling jokes!
Never mind that in these instances, you are now working at a company with no job security, you have thoroughly alienated those who hold you dear, and you're still stuck in a Nazi prison camp.
But don't worry, alienating your compatriots isn't a problem, because you're more advanced than they are. Right.
Our good author doesn't stop to think of instances where perhaps a person might prefer death to life. While I prefer self-help that doesn't wax philosophical, Dr. Siegel's entire book only works on the presumption that life is always the best choice, and I wish he had addressed that.
Dr. Siegel's greatest strength lies in his insistence that people are capable of being multidimensional. It's an idea that's easy to comprehend on an intellectual level and tough as nails to accept on an emotional one.
We tend to forget our many facets in the throes of taking multiple-choice tests to pin down our personalities (What kind of lounge chair are you?), our compatibility (Measure your love life by the length of your name!), and just about everything else (Are you a text message virgin, y/n?).
According to Dr. Siegel, you're allowed to be a complete turd on Tuesday and a saint come Sunday. If nothing else, the good doctor is doing the world a favor by tossing the labels and saying it's all right to be both happy and angry, generous and selfish, without causing some sort of cosmic disturbance. In fact, it might do you and the world a little good.
So... four stars minus one for frivolous graphs and beating the readers over the head with anecdotes.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Yes, I got life!, 2008-06-01
The best book ever! The school of life is hard but now you can learn here to be resilient! Al Siebert! please move to Switzerland, this country needs you!
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Best for those who are already on their way, 2008-01-04
I think this book is probably better for you, the better you are already dealing with life. For someone having survivor traits, it will re-enforce you. To me it seems less useful for those whose self-esteem was badly damaged in early childhood. Perhaps the author underestimates the damage that can be caused by early parental denigration of the child, and how long that influence can last. For some of these people, the book will further depress them when they encounter their inability to adopt the strategies that they know are good, and that the author favors. In my opinion, the book is better at describing survivor traits than at showing others how to succeed.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
It is possible to learn how to be more "resilient", 2007-06-01
I had an opportunity to hear the author speak about "resiliency in the workplace" at a conference in Portland, OR two years ago. He offered good examples and strategies for coping with stress and change. I enjoyed his talk, and bought this book and another title by him as well. I have since bought additional copies of this book to give to friends who are experiencing different kinds of stress. All of them have found the book to be useful as well.
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