Difficult Personalities

January 18, 2010
What do you get when a clinical psychologist (McGrath) and an experienced author of adult and children's literature (Edwards) team up to write a handbook for dealing with troublesome people at work or in one's personal life? You get a no-frills resource that is both easy to understand and highly informative. As with many such manuals, it's not necessary to read cover to cover (especially when the book's only shortcoming is its slightly repetitive tips and strategies) but, rather, to read the chapter about whichever personality causes stress in your life, from the anxious to the passive-aggressive, bullies, and narcissists. Whether the problem person is a chronic complainer, a fount of insults, or a perpetual martyr, you are guaranteed to find in-depth analysis, including what they do, why they do it, and strategies to help cope with that person in a positive, healthy way. The authors also have advice for people who recognize bothersome traits in themselves. McGrath and Edwards have avoided scientific jargon and created a handbook people can put to use immediately. There's nothing difficult about this book, except for the subject it gracefully explicates.

February 15, 2010
Eddie ("Chump Change") and Lynch, who collaborate on the advice column "Damage Control" in the "Globe and Mail", write in the style of "Car Talk" as they present recovery rules for saying/doing stupid things to family members, office mates, or potential dates. Their basic premisethat most people are ready to forgive as long as the offender is humble, hubris-free, and humanis delivered with guy humor that readers will either find entertaining or coarse.

Clinical psychologist McGrath and writer Edwards discuss 11 difficult personality types and offer coping strategies. For every type (e.g., bossiness), they provide key words, typical behaviors, reasons behind the behaviors, and approaches for dealing with the bossy person (e.g., using humor) and ways to change one's own behavior (e.g., use courtesy). While "Damage Control" can help after the fact, "Difficult Personalities" gets to the heart of the matter and offers a real plan for change and coping.

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