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Wanting : the power of mimetic desire in everyday life / by Burgis, Luke,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Wanting is a groundbreaking exploration of why we want what we want, and a toolkit for freeing ourselves from chasing unfulfilling desires. As an undergraduate studying philosophy at Stanford, Peter Thiel met French polymath René Girard and was introduced to his theory of "mimetic desire"-the idea that most human wanting comes from imitating what other people desire, rather than from an innate sense of need. Inducted into the Académie Française as the "Darwin of the social sciences," Girard is largely unknown outside academic circles. But because of Girard, Thiel knew that Facebook would thrive because it offered a window into people's curated presentation of the best parts of their lives, thereby satisfying our need to look for "models" who tell us what to desire. According to Girard, each of us is surrounded by people who generate, shape, and manipulate our desires at every turn. Mimetic desire is no mere tool of advertisers but a reality that affects our daily lives in romance, work, fitness, politics, and parenting. Mimetic desire is a secret, unacknowledged, sophisticated form of adult imitation that drives a larger degree of human behavior than anybody ever realized. The consequences of mimetic desire are startling. Because people learn to want what other people want, they are easily drawn into rivalries and conflict. According to Girard, people don't fight because they want different things; they fight because, through mimetic desire, they start to want the same things. But mimetic desire does not have to be in control. We are free to choose. And those who understand mimetic desire have a tremendous advantage over those who don't-they can use it for good or for ill. Drawing on his experience as an entrepreneur, teacher, and student of classical philosophy and theology, Luke Burgis shows how to counteract the mimetic forces of the market by turning blind wanting into intentional wanting-not by trying to rid ourselves of desire, but by desiring differently. Intentional desire is what propels us to create a better world. Burgis shows how to achieve more independence from trends and bubbles, how to feel more in control of the things we want, and ultimately how to find more meaning in our work and life by grounding them in desires that will never fade away"--
Subjects: Desire.; Imitation.; Basic needs;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The lost shtetl : a novel / by Gross, Max,author.;
"What if there was a town that Hitler missed? For over fifty years the tiny Jewish shtetl of Kreskol has existed virtually untouched and unchanged. Spared of the Holocaust and Cold War, Kreskol has enjoyed an isolated peace. But when a marriage dispute spirals out of control, Kreskol is suddenly rediscovered and brought into the 21st Century. Pesha is in a loveless, arranged marriage and summons the courage to escape Kreskol on foot. But when her husband goes after her, panicked town leaders (protecting secrets of their own) send a woefully unprepared young man out to bring them home. The orphaned outcast named Yankel-unlearned, functionally illiterate (his Yiddish is useless to the modern-day outside world), and tagged with an inconceivable origin story-soon finds himself in the care of a psych ward. But when the truth comes out about his origins, his name is splashed across the covers of Polish newspapers. Ready or not, Poland commits to returning Yankel to Kreskol, and reintegrating the town that time forgot. In the course of doing so, the devious origins of the town's disappearance come into the light. And what has become of those runaways? Kreskol, torn asunder by disagreement between those embracing change and those clinging to its old world ways, may soon be forced to make a choice or disappear altogether"--
Subjects: Historical fiction.; Psychological fiction.; Shtetls; Jews;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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A flicker in the dark / by Willingham, Stacy,author.;
"From debut author Stacy Willingham comes a masterfully done, lyrical thriller, certain to be the launch of an amazing career. A Flicker in the Dark is eerily compelling to the very last page. When Chloe Davis was twelve, six teenage girls went missing in her small Louisiana town. By the end of the summer, her own father had confessed to the crimes and was put away for life, leaving Chloe and the rest of her family to grapple with the truth and try to move forward while dealing with the aftermath. Now twenty years later, Chloe is a psychologist in Baton Rouge and getting ready for her wedding. While she finally has a fragile grasp on the happiness she's worked so hard to achieve, she sometimes feels as out of control of her own life as the troubled teens who are her patients. So when a local teenage girl goes missing, and then another, that terrifying summer comes crashing back. Is she paranoid, seeing parallels from her past that aren't actually there, or for the second time in her life, is Chloe about to unmask a killer?"--
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Psychological fiction.; Missing persons; Psychologists;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 2
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Your life depends on it : what you can do to make better choices about your health / by Miron-Shatz, Talya,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Medicine used to be a paternalistic affair: a doctor's job was to make all the decisions, and a patient's job was to obey them. But technological, economic, and cultural changes over the last century have given us unprecedented control over our own healthcare. We have been turned into healthcare consumers, expected to work with doctors on complicated medical decisions. But just how capable are we of making those decisions? Talya Miron-Shatz is an expert in the psychology of risk and decision-making. She points out that medical decisions, whether about undergoing chemotherapy or treating a sprained ankle, are among the most difficult choices we ever make. They are personal and often require us to act quickly. The doctors we rely on are under pressure to make money for hospitals and pharmaceutical companies. And even if they have your best interests at heart, they often simply don't know enough about us, nor do they have the time to learn. The decisions we make about our health are riddled with psychological traps. As a result, we are likely to misuse medication, fall for pseudoscientific cure-alls, undergo needless procedures, and avoid the doctor when we should be getting help. If you need further proof, look no further than the coronavirus pandemic, in which responses from Americans have ranged from ignorance, to confusion, to outright defiance over the simple choice of wearing a mask. Your Life Depends on It offers an unsparing yet sympathetic diagnosis of the ways of thinking that lead to bad medical choices, shines a light on how the medical system fails and sometimes even capitalizes on patients' ignorance, and maps a new model for creating effective doctor-patient relationships. And ultimately, these insights give us a better way of thinking about a question that extends beyond medicine: What's the best way to make important decisions when it isn't possible to know all the facts? Your Life Depends on It offers a new take on the science of making good decisions, where it will build on the success of books like Thinking, Fast and Slow and Nudge. But while most books in this space are happy to talk about relatively mundane topics like clothing sales or traffic patterns, this book is a vital guide to the choices that matter most, the choices your life depends on"--
Subjects: Health behavior.; Health;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Fall from grace : a novel / by Steel, Danielle,author.;
"From #1 New York Times bestselling author Danielle Steel comes the gripping story of a woman who loses everything--her husband, her home, her sense of self and safety, and her freedom. Sydney Wells's perfect life with her wealthy, devoted husband vanishes when he dies suddenly in an accident. Widowed at forty-nine, she discovers he has failed to include her in his will. With Andrew's vicious daughters in control of his estate, and no home or money, Sydney finds a job in fashion, despite her own designer daughters' warnings. Naïve, out of her element, and alone in a world of shady international deals and dishonest people, she is set up by her boss and finds herself faced with criminal prosecution. What happens when you lose everything? Husband, safety, protection, money, and reputation gone, faced with prison, Sydney must rebuild her life from the bottom to the top again, with honor, resourcefulness, and dignity. Sydney finds herself, as well as courage and resilience. Taking life by the horns, she revives her own career as a talented designer, from New York to Hong Kong, risking all in an exotic, unfamiliar world. She is determined to forge a new life she can be proud of."--
Subjects: Domestic fiction.; Psychological fiction.; Fashion designers; Widows;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The long weekend : a novel / by Macmillan, Gilly,author.;
Dark Fell Barn is a "perfectly isolated" retreat, or so says its website when Jayne books a reservation for her friends. A quiet place, far removed from the rest of the world, is exactly what they need. The women arrive for a girls' night ahead of their husbands. There's ex-Army Jayne, hardened and serious, but also damaged. Ruth, the driven doctor and new mother who is battling demons of her own. Young Emily, just wed and insecure, the newest addition of this tight-knit band. Missing this year is Edie, who was the glue holding them together, until her husband died suddenly. But what they hoped would be a relaxing break soon turns to horror. Upon arrival at Dark Fell Barn, the women find a devastating note claiming one of their husbands will be murdered. There are no phones, no cell service to check on their men. Friendships fracture as the situation spins wildly out of control. Betrayal can come in many forms. This group has kept each other's secrets for far too long.
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Psychological fiction.; Novels.; Betrayal; Death threats; Female friendship; Murder; Secrecy; Short vacations; Spouses;
Available copies: 2 / Total copies: 2
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The Maidens [sound recording] / by Michaelides, Alex,1977-author.; Holdbrook-Smith, Kobna,narrator.; Brealey, Louise,narrator.; Macmillan Audio (Firm),publisher.;
Read by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Louise Brealey."From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Silent Patient comes a spellbinding tale of psychological suspense, weaving together Greek mythology, murder, and obsession, that further cements "Michaelides as a major player in the field" (Publishers Weekly). Edward Fosca is a murderer. Of this Mariana is certain. But Fosca is untouchable. A handsome and charismatic Greek tragedy professor at Cambridge University, Fosca is adored by staff and students alike-particularly by the members of a secret society of female students known as The Maidens. Mariana Andros is a brilliant but troubled group therapist who becomes fixated on The Maidens when one member, a friend of Mariana's niece Zoe, is found murdered in Cambridge. Mariana, who was once herself a student at the university, quickly suspects that behind the idyllic beauty of the spires and turrets, and beneath the ancient traditions, lies something sinister. And she becomes convinced that, despite his alibi, Edward Fosca is guilty of the murder. But why would the professor target one of his students? And why does he keep returning to the rites of Persephone, the maiden, and her journey to the underworld? When another body is found, Mariana's obsession with proving Fosca's guilt spirals out of control, threatening to destroy her credibility as well as her closest relationships. But Mariana is determined to stop this killer, even if it costs her everything-including her own life"--
Subjects: Audiobooks.; Psychological fiction.; Thrillers (Fiction); College teachers; Murderers; Psychotherapists; Secret societies;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Tough : my journey to true power / by Crews, Terry,1968-author.;
"Terry Crews spent decades cultivating his bodybuilder physique and bravado. On the outside, he seemed invincible: he escaped his abusive father, went pro in the NFL, and broke into the glamorous world of Hollywood. But his fixation with appearing outwardly tough eventually turned into an exhausting performance in which repressing his emotions let them get the better of him-leading him into addiction and threatening the most important relationships in his life. Now Crews is sharing the raw, never-before-told story of his quest to find the true meaning of toughness. In Tough, he examines arenas of life where he desperately sought control-masculinity, shame, sex, experiences with racism, and relationships-and recounts the setbacks and victories he faced while uprooting deeply ingrained toxic masculinity and finally confronting his insecurities, painful memories, and limiting beliefs. The result is not only the gripping story of a man's struggle against himself and how he finally got his mind right, but a bold indictment of the cultural norms and taboos that ask men to be outwardly tough while leaving them inwardly weak. With Tough, Crews's journey of transformation offers a model for anyone who considers themselves a "tough guy" but feels unfulfilled; anyone struggling with procrastination or self-sabotage; and anyone ready to achieve true, lasting self-mastery"--Provided by publisher.
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Personal narratives.; Crews, Terry, 1968-; Actors; Football players; Masculinity.; Men; Toughness (Personality trait);
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Before she knew him : a novel / by Swanson, Peter,1968-author.;
Hen and her husband, Lloyd, have settled into a quiet life in a new house outside of Boston. Hen (short for Henrietta) is an illustrator and works out of a studio nearby, and has found the right meds to control her bipolar disorder. Finally, she's found some stability and peace. But when they meet the neighbors next door, that calm begins to erode as she spots a familiar object displayed on the husband's office shelf. The sports trophy looks exactly like one that went missing from the home of a young man who was killed two years ago. Hen knows because she's long had a fascination with this unsolved murder - an obsession she doesn't talk about anymore, but can't fully shake either. Could her neighbor, Matthew, be a killer? Or is this the beginning of another psychotic episode like the one she suffered back in college, when she became so consumed with proving a fellow student guilty that she ended up hurting a classmate? The more Hen observes Matthew, the more she suspects he's planning something truly terrifying. Yet no one will believe her. Then one night, when she comes face to face with Matthew in a dark parking lot, she realizes that he knows she's been watching him, that she's really on to him. And that this is the beginning of a horrifying nightmare she may not live to escape ...
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Psychological fiction.; Married people; Manic-depressive persons; Neighbors; Murder;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Grief Therapy Masterclass. by Neimeyer, Robert,actor.; Yalom, Victor,actor.; Psychotherapy.net (Firm),dst; Kanopy (Firm),dst;
Robert Neimeyer, Victor YalomOriginally produced by Psychotherapy.net in 2023.Loss is a frequent visitor, shattering our clients' sense of how life should be, leaving them struggling to re-gain control, and to put the pieces of their lives back together. In this first volume, renowned grief expert Robert Neimeyer lays out the cornerstone principles of his meaning-based model, clearly explaining the three areas in which clients frequently get stuck: The event story of the death, the relationship with the deceased, and the struggle for a new sense of identity after the loss. Then you'll see him bring these principles to life as he works with actual clients, demonstrating how to effectively assist them in moving forward through the grief process.Neimeyer makes the case that therapy with these clients requires a willingness to accompany them into 'the heart of darkness and to then earn the opportunity to walk with them toward the light. By watching him work in a resilience-informed way with clients who have experienced a variety of losses - some traumatic - you will learn effective ways to help them regulate their emotions, rescript or rewrite their relationship with the deceased, and redefine their sense of identity following the loss.Mode of access: World Wide Web.
Subjects: Documentary films.; Health.; Social sciences.; Psychology.; Instructional films.; Mental health.; Documentary films.; Grief.; Death.; Emotions.; Psychotherapists.; Cognitive therapy.; Self-help techniques.;
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