This is a tremendous book for those interested in Christian counseling. I already own one; I'm buying another for my father who is a pastoral counselor. I am currently a counseling graduate student at John Brown University and the variety of subject material that this book covers is simply amazing. It is by far my favorite counseling book, and I have read dozens. It does not knock science, as unfortunately some Christian counseling theorists do. It recognizes scientific truths, while remaining true to the Bible.

From the physical basis to counseling modalities, this is the obvious textbook of choice for schools desiring to teach psychology from a Christian viewpoint. This is great for upper division high school or a general course for college students.

Table of Contents

Preface 1. Introduction to Psychology 2. The Biological Basis of Behavior 3. Sensation and Preception 4. Emotions 5. Motivation 6. Learning 7. Memory, Cognition, and Self-Esteem 8. Intelligence 9. Social Psychology 10. Child Development 11. Adolescent and Adult Development 12. Personality 13. The Psychology of Religion 14. Abnormal Psychology 15. Psychotherapy and Personal Counseling 16. Group and Family Counseling Afterword Appendix: Self-Change Projects Glossary Index of Names Index of Subjects

I especially enjoyed this book because I'm Bipolar, & washelp by the information contained within. The authors really comeacross as knowledgeable & caring people. A must read for people w/ mood disorders or their families/friends.

Since I was diagnosed with Clinical Depression, I have read every book I could get my hands on. This one was by far one of the best. It has places for you to write down your feelings on the subject being discussed. I read a chapter, answer the questions then put it down. The next day, I reread the chapter, reread the answers, and sometimes add stuff, the next day, I do the 2nd chapter. I suggest you do it this way too, but it is up to you. This book helped me realize that I had a lot of built up anger.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Usually I buy books based on recommendations from others or from Amazon. This book I bought spur-of-the-moment because it was so inexpensive and I was looking for any and all workbooks at the time. I have Bipolar Disorder and, though it does not address mania much, I found this book extremely helpful in picking apart my poor defense mechanisms. It made me realize why I act and react the way I do to certain situations. The questions the book posed really made me think about my depression in ways I had never tried. The only problem I had with the book was the poorly written case stories. As an English major, I just had to accept that the author is a wonderful technical writer but possibly lacks experience in the creative fiction area. However, the quality of the rest of the book was so beneficial that I could overlook these flaws (and it was easy to flip over the short case studies that began each chapter).

This book has been invaluable to me. I have learned at lot of things that I didn't know about myself.

In a state of depression and desparation I felt an overwhelming urge to drive to [a bookstore] in search of help. I didn't even know what I was looking for. I did know my search would defintely begin in the "Self-help" section. I picked up several books on relationships and read the backs of them. The third one I picked up was "Love is a Choice", and when I read the back I started to cry. It was like divine intervention because I had only heard the term "codependent - I didn't know exactly what it meant and certainly didn't know that it applied to me. Boy, did it ever. This book was such an eye opener for me and truly has changed my life. I know I have a long way to go in the healing process (maybe a lifetime), but now I have hope and the power of knowledge on my side. The greatest (and most unexpected) benefit of reading this book was that it helped me to get to know God - someone I didn't think knew me or loved me. I am so thankful that this book was written, and that there are people with the knowledge, experience, and expertise out there willing to work hard to make a happy and healthy life a reality for so many of us. Thank you!

I can honestly say that this book changed my life. I first read a page of it during a boring sermon at church, at a time when my marriage was going downhill. It sucked me in so fast I couldn't put it down. It was a shocking experience to read my entire life story written by complete strangers . It has a very straightforward style, but I think it's also easy enough reading that a teenager could understand it. The mix of psychology and scripture was exactly what I needed, and I don't know if I could have accomplished effective healing without it. The book is effective alone or in a group setting. My church even used it in place of a Sabbath School class: While everyone else was in groups studying Daniel and Revelation, I was in a group studying codependancy from a biblical perspective. I would also recommend this book to pastors looking to meet the emotional needs of their congregation.

This stellar book has helped me discover the cause of most of my problems. Now, I'm on the road to recovery. At first I read it for a thesis paper dealing with compulsive behaviors (which it is extremely helpful for), then I read it for myself! It changed me; it's the best!

Your view of this book is likely to depend on your religious outlook on life. The book is full of Bible-Quotes. It uses biblical personalities and settings as examples for burnout and the things that bring burnout about. Of those examples that do not figure biblical personalities, at least half have some strong connection to the church.

Personally, I feel that a book that deals with a clinical psychological issue, such as burnout, should rely on academic research and reasoning. That is missing here. Time and again the bible is taken as the source of all truth and the author's interpretation as our guiding line for doing things in life. Especially the latter makes it very difficult reading for people with academic training who are used to take a critical view of unsubstantiated statements.

This book is practical, readable, and worthwhile. Even if you're so burned out you can hardly face another book, this one is worth the time! Lots of case histories and real life examples, so you know the authors have dealt with real people. Very solid biblical foundation. Non-technical explanations make it easy reading for anyone. Solid, practical suggestions for avoiding or escaping burnout. This is two books put together in one volume. Reading this book helped me identify the strengths and weaknesses, as well as the potential hazards of my own personality type. Best book on the subject I've seen.

I thought it was humorous as I read this book to my wife during our 3,000-mile trip. Here we were, two fairly driven people, reading a book aloud and trying to get through all of it before we got home--is that driven or what? And then, we wondered, what about the authors? Were they also not driven people? I thought that perhaps they also had some of the "compulsive behaviors America applauds," such as workaholism and perfectionism, just to write this book and have a successful nationwide counseling practice.

The authors put together chapters that deal with America's common compulsions--the isms. How do you break an addiction cycle? In part 2 of the book they list 9 points and show how each stage of the addiction cycle works. There were some good things said in these chapters along with exercises to see if you needed help in these areas (i.e. shame, low self-esteem, guilt, etc.). We did have a chance to talk about some things as we read the book, but usually it was off-topic. However, it was good that the book introduced the topic so we could communicate our feelings about personal issues that we deal with. And in several areas, the authors had good advice. It just seemed like most of the advice was to join a support group such as Al-Anon or (Blank) Anonymous, and we just have a hard time with the 12-step programs that they were being glorified in this book. Besides, none of these groups seemed to fit our needs very well. On several occasions we were very uncomfortable when the authors talked about the infamous "higher power," and while we have no problems with support groups in general, we believe that they should be centered on the true Higher Power, God Almighty, rather than some nameless and anonymous source of power. Perhaps our churches should better emphasize groups like this from a biblical perspective.

"We are Driven" could be a valuable resource for many people. If you are someone who is driven, we recommend that you read this with your special someone as it will certainly lead you to talk about some very important issues that affect your lives. These compulsive behaviors always affect other people, so why not deal with it with the most important person you know?

The notion that depression is not real and rather a state of mind is frustratingly misguiding and the reason that scores of people commit suicide around the world every day. Depression is a crippling disease that requires treatment and therapy just like any other and anybody who has ever fought it knows this. What this book screamed to me as someone who is vulnerable to mild depression, is that people allow themselves to be depressed; That depression is an attitude, perhaps one I can wake up tomorrow and throw out the window. But the truth is, it is not. It is not something we imagine nor is it something we can forget. In fact, sometimes, we don't even have a clue what is causing it in our lives so how can we simply "pray for it to end." I'm somebody who talks to God and prays for help with a lot of the challenges that come across my life, but even I know that depression is not something, which will simply go away with prayer. A person needs friends, support, therapy and sometimes a prescription to fight depression.

I feel like depression is both physical and spritual problems. It is a sin to let depression control our lives. I have been diagnosed through the Minirth Clinic as a bipolar individual. I am on medication to help me. The idea behind Dr. Minirth's books are to make you realize that God will help us through our depression. Only through prayer will we have the strength to overcome depression. It will not make it go away but it will help us not to give into Satan's control over us through the depression. If you don't believe that Satan battles for our lives then maybe you shouldn't read this book. May God lead you.

I REALIZE THAT NO BOOK IS A MIRACLE WORKER FOR THE CURE OF DEPRESSION. I WAS GOING THROUGH A HORRIBLE TIME WITH DEPRESSION. I FELT LIKE I WAS IN A PIT. THIS LITTLE BOOKED HELPED ME SO MUCH. THE REASON IT DID WAS BECAUSE IT WAS FULL OF GOD'S WORD, ALONG WITH GOOD SOUND ADVICE. I WOULD READ THE LITTLE BOOK OVER AND OVER AGAIN. I ALSO READ MY BIBLE. I EVEN SLEPT WITH MY BIBLE. LOTS OF THE ADVICE IN THE LITTLE BOOK HELPED ME TO HAVE HOPE DURING MY DEPRESSION. I ENJOYED THIS BOOK VERY MUCH. NOTHING IS A QUICK FIX. BUT THIS LITTLE BOOK WAS A BIG PART OF MY RECOVERY. THE REASON I CAME ON THIS SITE WAS TO SEE IF I COULD ORDER ONE FOR A FRIEND. THANK SO MUCH AND GOD BLESS YOUR MINISTRY, ELAINE