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The Vital Balance
by MENNINGER, Karl
- Used
- Very Good
- Signed
- Condition
- Very Good/good
- Seller
-
New York, New York, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
New York: Viking, 1972. hardcover. very good/good. 531 pages, 8vo, red cloth (bottom corners bumped), dust wrapper (worn and chipped). New York: The Viking Press, (1972). Sixth printing. A very good copy in a good dust wrapper.<br/><br/> Inscribed on the flyleaf: "for our library The Aspen Institute, Karl Menninger 6.26.74<br/><br/>
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
- Argosy Book Store
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 164321
- Title
- The Vital Balance
- Author
- MENNINGER, Karl
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Very Good
- Jacket Condition
- good
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Publisher
- Viking
- Place of Publication
- New York
- Date Published
- 1972
Terms of Sale
Argosy Book Store
All items are offered net, subject to prior sale. Returns accepted within 7 days of receipt--please contact us first. Payment by Visa , Mastercard & American Express. Appropriate sales tax will be added for all N.Y. State residents
About the Seller
Argosy Book Store
Biblio member since 2004
New York, New York
About Argosy Book Store
We are a large retail store, with 6 floors of out-of-print and rare books, (including, Americana, modern first editions, history of medicine and science), antique maps and prints, autograph manuscripts, letters & signatures.
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