Product reviews for Social Panoramas

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'Being is Location"

In his book entitled Social Panoramas the author centres his therapy for resolving problems in human relationships around the 'location' we have created in our mental space for the images we form of self, others, groups of people, non-human social entities and invented personifications. These images are usually categorised in concentric circles. Based on distance, direction and position of images, location will equal relationship e.g. the closer the image in our mental space the more intimate the relationship. These images are formed through unconscious thought processes. Lukas Derks maintains that from childbirth, or even before, we begin to lay the foundation for thought through bodily experience. We, generally subconsciously, build up thought patterns through our experiences involving all our senses, thus laying the foundation for a map of our very individual reality of our social world. The prototype for these social constructions is the self-concept or self-personification that becomes the 'model' of how we see others. However, sometimes some factors are missing in our neural activity of gathering the building blocks for creating our social landscape. Consequently, problems may arise in relationships and social interaction. Through introspection and exploring the descriptions of the inner models of their social reality therapists can bring about effective intervention in dealing with clients' interpersonal problems. In his book, or rather manual, Derks has described no less than 61 techniques for intervention. He maintains that, over a 10-year period of using Social Panoramas techniques, he and some colleagues have successfully impacted hundreds of human relationships in a shorter therapy time than usual and with lasting results.

These success stories make awesome reading.

In his book, set out in eight chapters, Derks has well documented and thoroughly researched social and cognitive psychology, cognitive linguistics and existing psychotherapy intervention techniques to justify his robust 'thesis' on the Social Panoramas model. He has also described various case studies. As a result, this manual, with a vast amount of background information and so many application techniques clearly and logically described, will be a great asset in the hands of therapists, counsellors and those who want to work on personal, professional and social development.

The 'Dutchness' of the author comes across in his strong first person singular style, his example of a child's emotions connected with St Nicholas (Dutch equivalent of Father Christmas) and some illustrations with Dutch text. Derk's illustrations are powerful and humorous. They very vividly encapsulate the context on the one hand and enhance it on the other. This book, which is extremely readable and offers so many new and simple tools to help solve relationship problems, is a 'must-have' for any one involved in inter- and intrapersonal therapy.