The Drama of Everyday Life

by Karl Scheibe

Book Overview

Psychologists, says the old joke, know everything there is to know about the college sophomore and the white rat. But what about the rest of us, older than the former, bigger than the latter, with lives more labyrinthine than either? In this ambitious book, Karl E. Scheibe aims to take psychology out of its rut and bring it into contact with the complex lives that most people quietly live.

Drama, Scheibe reminds us, is no more confined to...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0674008391
• ISBN13: 9780674008397
• Release Date: March 2002
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.6" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

Deeper look at life...

I read this several years ago. I recently went through it again. Both times I found it well written and well researched. The notes and references are as valuable as the text itself. It was my first exposure to Goffman, for instance. (Yes, to some I seem to live under a rock.) It is an interesting perspective that story, or drama, dominates our internal lives. Honest reflection confirms the view, and ongoing observation reinforces it. More recent works have, imho, confirmed the main themes. Consider the "Drama of Everyday Life" in light of popular works like "Made to Stick" and the former provides a deeper insight into why the recommendations made in the latter actually work. Into marketing? Into "social media"? If so you should already understand that passion rules and that reason is secondary to it. But how to understand passions, and how to appeal to them, requires a depth understanding of motivations. That dramas underlie behaviors is a good start. The only criticism I can offer is that the Schiebe's world of personal dramas, seems too flat. There is no depth beyond the first peel. This seems counter-intuitive. Aren't there national dramas? How about racial, gender, and age-dependent shared dramas? Could there even be unconscious (repressed) dramas? Do we have multiple and competing internal dramas? In fairness, however, that criticism could be debated. The discussion of media, of movies in particular, of Disney, and of the money markets, are examples that might fairly be set against the suggestion of insufficient depth. In any event, it seems clear to me that to be congnizant of the central tenant of "The Drama of Everyday Life" is to be more aware generally. I'm satisfied with the investment I made making the time to read it.

Pathbreaking

Scheibe writes with eloquence and passion. This book defines a radically new approach to psychology--combining the perspicacity of Goffman with the penetrating insights of Freud.

Thought Provoking AND Enjoyable!

The book effectively addresses a variety of aspects found in "everyday life":issues --such as the stock market and schizophrenia-- offer thought provoking perspectives and discussions. Scheibe is a master at combining pyschological principles and social theory with poignant illustrations and vignettes. A refreshing read for the professional or student, and a palapable journey for the simply curious.