About the Book
All of us, writes psychologist Michael Rousell, are subject to Spontaneous Influence Events, (SIEs), when seemingly minor moments have truly life-changing effects. Rousell, who has studied such events across decades, shows us how SIEs—which occur when we are emotionally charged—trigger an intense response and activate a mental state of extreme suggestibility. He explains how SIEs disarm our instinctive defense mechanisms and rational thinking processes, leaving us open to instant adoption of new beliefs. In this unique book, he looks at the neurobiology of this spontaneous change. He details how we can recognize Elevated Suggestibility States or teachable moments, then use that knowledge to create positive SIEs for ourselves and those we love. And he explains how we can undo the damage of negative SIEs that may be haunting us, holding us back, or hurting us.
Songwriter Carly Simon recalls an emotionally intense high school episode when her boyfriend referred to her stammer as charming. Simon regards that moment as a turning point for her self-esteem, and so her future. Other celebrities share similar, seemingly minor moments with truly life-changing effects. Tennis champion Venus Williams recalls one of her sister's pep talks when her words changed my life. Basketball star Shaquille O'Neal credits an offhand remark by his mother as the words that changed everything for me. All three cases illustrate a Spontaneous Influence Event, or SIE. In this book, psychologist Michael Rousell, who has studied such events across decades, shows us how SIEs—which occur when we are emotionally charged—do occur for most of us, for better or worse. These events trigger an intense emotional response and activate a mental state of extreme suggestibility. There is thus fertile ground for statements about our worth, abilities, and potential to be implanted solidly in our minds, leading to success or failure, often without our completely comprehending the effect and why it occurred.
Rousell explains how the sudden impact of these SIEs disarms our instinctive defense mechanisms and rational thinking processes, leaving us open to instant adoption of new beliefs. In this unique book, he looks at the neurobiology of this spontaneous change, why the events occur, how to defend against the negative among them, and how to manage or promote positive SIEs. He also explains, through common vignettes, how and why the brain encodes SIEs to be triggered again and again in memory at later dates. Finally, Rousell details how we can recognize Elevated Suggestibility States or teachable moments, then use that knowledge to create positive SIEs for ourselves and those we love. And he explains how we can undo the damage of negative SIEs that may be haunting us, holding us back, or hurting us.
About the Author :
Michael A. Rousell is a Counseling Psychologist and also holds a doctorate in philosophy. He has spent 15 years studying spontaneous influence events. His work has included adolescent counseling, family and marriage therapy, addictions, and forensics. He has also taught across the spectrum from elementary, junior high, and high school to college undergraduate and graduate programs.
Review :
When he was a young student who hated school--and on one occasion ranted and raved about the injustices of school and the inhumanity of teachers--a teacher told Rousell that he could only change the system if he became a teacher. This statement/event had a dramatic, profound, and lasting effect on Rousell: he is now a counselor with a PhD in philosophy and professional experience in all levels of education. He has devoted 20 years to researching what he labeled the Spontaneous Influence Event (SIE) he experienced--a phenomenon many have experienced--and that research culminates in this present book. Rousell identifies five elements of an SIE: the perceived authority of the influencer, rapport with the influencer, dependence on the influencer, absorption in imagery on the part of the person influenced, and emotional arousal. These need not occur spontaneously, and the author presents a methodology in which these elements can be managed so as to create an SIE for the purpose of bringing out the potential in an individual. Including chapter notes, this is a stimulating, innovative, and practical book for anyone--teachers, counselors, parents, physicians, managers, social workers--working to tap potential in others. Highly recommended. All readers, all levels.
Rousell, a counseling psychologist with a doctoral degree in philosophy, has published his interesting book at a happy moment. Rousell's 20 years of research on what he calls spontaneous influence events (SIE) attempt to give solid grounding to the old adage Mighty oaks from little acorns grow. To Rousell, simple words or actions, heard or received when we are in an emotionally charged state, can be life-transforming in a way well beyond their apparent meaning. Rousell's work includes examples and proofs of the merits of his argument, as well as advice for both making use of such SIE moments and helping to create them for others. This book has a kind of counterpart in Nassim Nicholas Taleb's Black Swan and other recent works that emphasize the role of suddenness, chance, and influence-a kind of happy coincidence not unlike his own events. For most collections.
Causal remarks, such as those referred to in prefatory remarks by a U. of Oregon professor, can have a life-changing impact on a listener's self-esteem. Based on extensive study of the phenomenon of spontaneous influence events (SIEs), a psychologist explains how SIEs can lead to new ways of thinking by disarming our usual defense mechanisms. Rousell's treatment focuses on clinical and anecdotal examples, but he does relate the resultant elevated suggestibility state to research on the placebo effect. The book includes exercises to reinforce personal strengths.
An easy read that includes numerous examples of sudden influence events, their perception, management, and overall importance in learning both inside and outside of the classroom. Occasionally bordering on a manual on how to manipulate potentially traumatic learning events, Rousell's description of the role of hypnosis in education, and emphasis on the importance of creating linkages between information and feelings are timely and intriguing. Sudden Influence is an excellent invitation into the important and fascinating world of neurobiological learning and a valuable addition to every well-stocked, educational reference library.
