Battles Between Somebodies and Nobodies: Stop Abuse of Rank at Work and at Home

by Julie Ann Wambach and Robert W. Fuller

Offers insights about kinds of hierarchies, how we create Somebodies and Nobodies, and the nature of those rank abusers who produce havoc in our lives. This self help book includes theory, and a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0981481809
• ISBN13: 9780981481807
• Release Date: October 2008
• Publisher: Brookside Press
• Length: 196 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.6" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

An Important Book For Everyone

I'm very aware of social hierarchy in animals. My husband and I have been horse breeders for twenty years. We know exactly what happens when you put two dominant animals in the same pasture--mayhem. Animals seem to be more honest than humans in expressing rank-related aggression. As I started to read this book, images from my professional and academic life kept coming to me. I recall witnessing so many interactions that were ostensibly related to work or some intellectual problem--except that they weren't. These were power plays where one individual tromped all over another. I didn't have the vocabulary to label what was happening in those earlier situations. All I knew was that something rotten was going down. Dr. Wambach's book gives everyone the vocabulary and awareness to know exactly what's happening in those "stinky" situations. What is happening is rank abuse, where one person uses his or her place in the social hierarchy to perpetrate others. Wambach provides a complete anatomy of rank abuse, showing how it arises and its many forms. I won't attempt more detail, except to say that I recognized people I knew, and myself, in the line-up. The first step in controlling something is to be able to see and name it. If you read this book, you'll have the tools you need to see the roots of rank abuse in your life and begin to take control. The book flows smoothly from description of how hierarchies are created, how misuse of rank turns human beings into Somebodies and Nobodies, into detailed examination of types of rank abusers and what motivates them. Each chapter has a summary and exercises to assist readers in mastering rank related issues. The book is clearly written, accessible reading, and very well researched. The examples given illustrate points with events in our contemporary culture. She also has a knack for lifting the essence of what various psychological theorists and intellectuals have said about rank and human development. She quotes Shakespeare, Nietzsche, Margaret Mead, Rollo May, Karen Horney, Alfred Adler and more to very good effect. This is a book packed with information and resources. It's really a starting point. The book's footnotes will provide guidance and additional detail for years of further study. Dr. Wambach's goal is nothing less than reforming our culture. One thing she said moved me to the core. I tried to find the passage to quote here and failed, but I'll tell you what struck me. I'm an author, a scribbler. I'm intensely interested in my books finding a wide audience and opening a dialogue with my readers. I wouldn't mind following in Elizabeth Gilbert or Stephenie Meyer's footsteps, either. Sometimes my desire for sales and success blinds me and results in personal anguish, not to mention negatively impacting my family. Wambach hit the root of this trap dead on. She said something like, "In our society, we're obsessed with winning big contests--the Academy Award, Pulitzer Prize, enormous prize

Rankism in your daily life

I don't care what anyone says, the best way to defeat bullies of any stripe is through experience. Until you know what it's like to be picked on, belittled and embarrassed you'll never be able to mentally defeat the bully on your block. Experience can still teach you more about your given situation than any teacher or any book. That having been said, I had no clue what to do when the fellas laid into me when I was a young one. I was completely taken aback by the fact that I was the one being singled out for their amusement. Here's where a book like this one would've been quite helpful. You're going to be embarrassed and picked on and belittled at one time or another in your life and so are your precious children. What you do in these moments will help define you and any future situations that you encounter. There is ammunition out there for you to take into these psychological battles. There are ways to change your mentality and how you approach these matters. There is also information that you can give your children. There are things you can do, there is hope, and I think that Julie Ann Wambach, Ph.D. gives this to you. As a plainspoken feller, I'm not a huge fan of the wonkish terminology that Wambach employs, but her terminology is never so distracting that you miss her point. One thing that Wambach does effectively is that she agrees with me, and I don't say this with selfish conceit. I only say this to let you know that Wambach effectively relates her scenarios and philosophies to that which is occurring in your daily life and how you deal with things. She uses Friedrich Nietzsche and Adler to point out that some of us suffer from inferiority complexes and superiority complexes. Those who suffer from superiority complexes are what she calls Rankists. In building her scenarios and using philosophers, Wambach gets you to ask yourself helpful questions that lead you to examine yourself and those around you. Why do they do it? Why does your tyrannical boss do what he does? Why did those bullies on the block single me out? It wasn't something I thought about as a child. I never thought about the motivation of those that castigated me in life. My parents didn't either. My Mom told me to stay away from them, and my Dad told me to punch them in the mouth. I didn't see how I could do either at the time. I was at the bottom of a hierarchy that Wambach describes with no idea how to get out of it. I had no idea that the choices I made, the image that I projected, and the things I said placed me in a situation that was prime for the picking. I had no idea that I was projecting weakness to others that were using it to climb on me to another hierarchy. It may sound wonkish, but the more you read this book the more you accidentally start to use some of the philosophies of this book in your daily life. The next time that your friends or your boss or classmates single you out, you'll ask yourself the question: "How did I allow t

IF YOU DEAL AT ALL WITH HUMANS - READ THIS ONE.

This is truly a unique and helpful book. As a matter of fact, it is one of the most helpful books in this genre I have had the pleasure reading over the years. The author, Julie Ann Wambach Ph.D. has, to begin with, done a tremendous amount of excellent research is putting this offering together, but I strongly suspect that the strength of her words, observations and advice come more from her obvious abilities in the observation of her fellow humans and in her ability to interpret these observations. Rather amazing and insightful stuff is found between the covers of this book. As the title would indicate, this is a study of the battle between those who have power, both formal and informal and who abuse that power, and those that have no power, either formal or informal and are caught in this conflict. Let's be honest. We have all been there and all of us at one time or another has been on either the receiving side of this age old conflict, or on the "dishing out side." It is simply human nature to be as such. Doctor Wambach has given us a means of identifying, examining, defending, and indeed changing this situation. She has given us some strong tools to not only defend ourselves against those who abuse their power over us; but has also, in a very subtle way, given us a heads up as to the damage we may be causing others by our own actions. At present, and for the past few years, being retired, I have been occupied by doing an almost full time job as a substitute teacher in the local school system. By far one of the biggest problems we have today is the act of bullying. This is carried out in many ways and the author has covered each and ever one is detail. Before I retired I acted as a health care consultant and gave numerous seminars covering the very subject addressed in this book. Before that I spent twenty years in the Armed Forces and encountered the problems addressed in this book on almost a daily basis. This author has hit the nail of the head with her observations, assessments and advice. It is almost like she has been a little mouse in my pocket all these years and has seen the same things I have seen. The difference is that this author has the ability to articulate and advise, whereas I don't. Thank goodness for bright Ph.D.s. The book is very well written and quite understandable. It is not one of those books that take an MBA specializing in human resources to understand. Wambach's command of the language is perfect, i.e. she can communicate. You can have all the good ideas in the world, but if you don't have the ability to communicate to others, then those ideas are sort of wasted. Fortunately Wambach does. The books is very well organized and the author has been kind enough to give us a chapter overview at the end of each chapter along with a set of questions that if answered honestly will give each reader a far better picture of themselves and their chances of survivability in our oh so complex world. One as

Eye-Opening Book for All in Leadership Roles!

My first experience with rankism was watching someone I love and respect get treated with very little dignity in the workplace. I saw firsthand how depilating this occurrence can be to the overall spirit of the person experiencing the abuse, and we would search together for responsible solutions that would stop the cycles of rankism. If only we had the book, Battles Between Somebodies and Nobodies, we would have learned that the rankist was responding to some behavior, that was instigating more abuse. Learning to understand the techniques that Somebodies and Nobodies use against each other has been eye opening for me; not only in the workplace, but in social situations as well. I loved learning how to use conflict constructively, and without being a rankist, to get a desired outcome. The pictures that explained the Somebody Rankists and Nobody Rankists in Chapter 6 and 7 were helpful as these visuals do assist the reader to understand the many different faces of abuse. I definitely feel empowered now to watch my own behaviors, and be sure that rankism is eliminated from my life. This book is a useful tool for anyone looking to proactively overcome power struggles. Andrea Samadi, author of The Secret for Teens Revealed: How Parents, Teachers, and Teenagers Can Inspire Leadership and Transform Lives

A Must Read for Every Manager

The subject matter of this book applies to us all. As we meander through this journey of life, we must learn to cope and hopefully manage the all important issue of rankism, that is the abuse of power we may have over others. As a corporate human resources director, I found this book to contain precisely the information that I have been searching for. The "pecking order" that either naturally arises in the workplace or that is forced by mandate is one of the areas of management where instruction is rare. Most of us never had the contents of this book available and went through our careers in what David Thoreau called "quiet desperation". While hierarchies will never be eradicated (nor should they) there will always be those who misuse and abuse his or her position. This guide will help us to recognize rankism, refuse to accept rankism, hold ourselves accountable, hold others accountable and provide solid action plans to stop rankism. The exercises, tables and inventory guides make this reading more of study rather than an afternoon read. Indeed, my suggestion is to approach this book as a study guide for yourself and others. As a life-long student of the puzzling worlds of discrimination and leadership, I greatly appreciated the topic as it helped me to fill in many of my missing pieces in these two management fields. If you enjoy this book, you may also want to read Somebodies and Nobodies: Overcoming the Abuse of Rank I hope you find this review helpful. Michael L. Gooch, Author of Wingtips with Spurs