“The Psychological Immune System” by Herman Kagan: book reviews

The psychological immune system
by Herman Kagan
AuthorHouse (2006)
ISBN 1420890050
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (8/06)

“The Psychological Immune System” was written to educate us on how the psychological immune system relates to the biological immune system. The author takes his theories beyond the functioning system of the individual and applies it to larger groups and organizations. Dr. Kagan has done extensive research on this topic and is well referenced. He also uses personal anecdotes to illustrate some of his remarks. This makes information more interesting and concepts easier to grasp.

If we have a healthy functioning psychological immune system, we are able to use our emotions to guide us in making good decisions. Dr. Kagan says: “We seem to understand life events through their emotional impact on us, and our emotions act as
warning signs for the dangers we encounter. “Therefore, it is important that we maintain a healthy functioning system. As with our biological system, which functions to keep us alive, we need both systems to be healthy and for our survival. systems begin to fail, we catch diseases and end up either unhealthy or dead. When our psychological immune systems are not functioning properly, we can make poor choices that affect our survival.

“The Psychological Immune System” is incredibly interesting and informative to read. Dr. Kagan includes a lot of anthropological information to show us how we evolved in this way. He mentions historical events and cultures that are influenced by his theories. It also explains how other creatures in the animal world are also guided by this system. Although the information presented is informative enough to be used as textbooks, it is written in such a way that a non-student would enjoy reading the material for personal growth and to better understand themselves, others and different societies.

I highly recommend this book to people interested in personal growth, anthropology students, parents, and teachers. It is definitely worth reading. The information obtained can be useful to improve yourself or to understand how to guide others.