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Survivor Personality | 
 enlarge | Author: Al Siebert
Publisher: Perigee Trade
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy Used: $5.05
You Save: $9.90 (66%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  16 reviews
Sales Rank: 21117
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5.1 x 1
ISBN: 0399522301
Dewey Decimal Number: 158.1
EAN: 9780399522307
ASIN: 0399522301
Publication Date: September 1, 1996
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: ACCEPTABLE, HAS WRITING, NO HIGHLIGHTING, HAS UNDERLINIG, BIG TEAR ON F-COVER, LIGHT WEAR COVER, FAST SHIPPER, CHECK OUR FEEDBACKS.
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Amazon.com
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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| Customer Reviews: Read 11 more reviews...
 Better, faster, stronger--but at what price? June 24, 2008
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.
 Yes, I got life! June 1, 2008
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!
Best for those who are already on their way January 4, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
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.
It is possible to learn how to be more "resilient" June 1, 2007
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
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.
Empowerment, learning by example... May 7, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Why do some people seem to make it through the toughest times and live to smile about it? What are their secrets? How can we learn to be like them? This book presents stories that illustrate traits and behaviors (optimism, objectivity, humor, persistence) that worked for those facing a wide range of challenges... natural or man-made disasters, life-threatening sickness, etc. An easy-reading, inspirational support for someone facing their own trouble as well as resource for those working with such individuals.
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