The Normal Personality: A New Way of Thinking about People

This latest from Ohio State University psychology professor Reiss (Who Am I?) takes on a good majority of working therapists and academics by positing that ""values, not unconscious psychodynamics, drive the human psyche."" With vigorous research, analysis and anecdotal evidence, Reiss argues convincingly that by addressing ordinary personal problems with ""constructs developed to study mental illnesses,"" the community has pathologized normal human personality traits and behaviors: ""orderliness is a mild form of Obsessive-Compulsive disorder; unhappiness is a mild form of depression."" Reiss's model, ""motivation analysis,"" sees problems as the result of frustrated goals or values in the here and now, rather than hidden reserves of anxiety or anger. One's mix of goals and values can be determined and analyzed using the Reiss Motivation Profile (RMP), based on what Reiss argues is the most complete taxonomy of personality yet developed. Extensive empirical research has led Reiss to identify sixteen basic desires (including acceptance, curiosity, family, power and tranquility) that, together, provide an accurate personality portrait. Reiss makes an accessible case for his approach's superior ability to understand problems and predict behavior. It should provide food for thought for anyone in the mental health community, as well as those who feel they've been underserved or misunderstood by traditional psychotherapy.