Daniel Goleman, 1996, 288 pages

A penetrating analysis of the dark corners of human deception, enlivened by intriguing case histories and experiments – It was written for the professional, yet is understandable by the layman as well because it is so well and clearly written. This is a great book for coaches, counsellors, and therapists working with individuals that are grieving or dealing with past issues. I found the book to be helpful in explaining why so many of the people I coach seem to have denied or repressed very emotionally traumatic incidents. The human mind is amazing and complex. This book helps unmask some of that complexity.

It is so clear that humans have incredible capabilities, and yet we cannot seem to use them in many cases, especially on the social or cultural level ... and part of the reason has to be our ability to lie to ourselves or be manipulated by our tendencies to keep us stunted. This book dissects and explains the mechanism here, and is one of the most important books I can recommend to anyone interested in psychology.

The chapter "The Intelligent Filter" gives us a clear concept on how we so often screen out ideas and information that do not fit our assumptions. Reading this section can help us understand why innovative ideas get rejected without consideration, as we filter out new pieces of information even before they reach our awareness.

I would universally recommend it to anyone who wants to reach intellectually and learn how life makes us human and how we individually deal with our inner self. I cannot say or stress how wonderful and important I think this book is; it must have been dearly inspired for the care and inclusiveness it possesses. The intuitive way it is written with clear examples of behaviour allows any reader to follow on several levels the complex line of logic through the entire book and learn quite a bit about how the mind works and how delicate our minds are.