Psychiatry, the Press and the Public: Problems in Communication, edited by Wilfred Bloomberg et al. (Washington, American Psychiatric Association, 1956. Pp. 66. $1.00.)

This easily readable and well organized booklet is a report of a conference conducted by the American Psychiatric Association in co-operation with the National Association of Science Writers and the Niemann Foundation for Journalism. It is concerned with the problems of communicating psychological subject-matter to the public. The spirit of understanding and of critical co-operation shown by the various contributors offers an excellent example for other workers in this field.

Major consideration was given to depicting and understanding some of the problems involved. Semantic and cognitive factors were examined. Emotional factors were correctly stressed. Perhaps the psychological professions should inquire more into their motivations for ignoring their responsibility in communicating to the public; writers might wonder why they need so often to distort and sensationalize the material. There may be answers other than the logical commonsense ones. And the emotional difficulties of the public upon getting psychological data are considered. More might be asked of the aims, present and future, in communicating on these matters with the public.

The contributors have largely avoided imitating Dr. Gregg's definition of '… a zealot as a person who redoubles his efforts when he has lost sight of his aim'. In this beginning, they have made a refreshing approach by constructively focusing on the problems.