258 Book reviews

pack includes a range of pre-designed activities that will enhance the competencies of youngpeople who are willing to engage in it. The pack has materials for six sessions, each lasting50 minutes. The curriculum is laid out in a logical and clear manner and the photocopy-readyhandouts are of good quality. It includes teacher notes, timing guidelines, and classroom andhomework activities.

Each session includes breathing or relaxation exercises. Session 1 is an introduction tostress management. It asks students to identify potential stressors and to suggest the possiblesymptoms. Session 2 involves activities designed to change negative and dysfunctionalthinking. The third session considers physical ways of copingFdiet, exercise, sleep andrelaxation. Session 4 includes activities designed to improve study skills, exam preparationand time management. The penultimate session covers interpersonal and communicationskills–relationships, communication and assertiveness. The final session is titled ‘‘treatingyourself right’’ and aims to boost confidence and self-esteem, to manage sadness, depressionand anxiety. I was less happy with the materials in this sessionFthe discussion ondepression, for example, is treading on dangerous ground and some of the advice (forexample; ‘‘Expressing your feelings or letting off steam to an understanding person is the bestway in the world to make you feel happier’’) has not always been demonstrated empirically.Whilst most of the advice is sound in principle, I would feel happier if the professionaldealing with these difficult and potentially dangerous issues had some clinical training.

Anyone who has been involved in stress-management training will find nothing new inthis pack. However, for busy teachers without this experience the pack brings together arange of materials which have been re-designed in a ready-made curriculum for the personaldevelopment needs of young people. This will be particularly valuable for those involved indelivering personal and social development or for personal tutors. The material will work wellwith well-motivated young people. However, it may require a highly skilled teacher to fullyengage pupils from less advantaged backgrounds, and some of the timings may be over-optimistic.

These two books by McNamara are valuable sources of information and practicalsuggestions for practitioners working with young people at an individualistic level, and Iwould particularly recommend the resource pack for teachers interested in developing skillsamongst young people. However, what these books do not address, but arguably what isneeded, is a shift in public and educational philosophy from individualism, competitivenessand achievement towards collectivism, co-operation and mutual benefit. Then, we may see areduction in anti-social behaviour and pathology in young people.

Brian SwallowSenior Lecturer in Health Psychology

University of LincolnU.K.

doi:10.1006/jado.2001.0467

Listening to Young People in School, Youth Work and Counselling. Nick Luxmoore, JessicaKingsley Publishers, 2000. 144 pp. d12.99.

As clear from the title, this comprehensive, yet compact, text concerns itself with providingbetter insight into the behaviours relationships and emotions of modern day youth. It is

Book reviews 259

marketed, and highly suited, for those working closely with young people (surprisingly,considering the title!).

Throughout the text, the author displays extensive knowledge of this area, covering topicssuch as the effect of sibling, adult, and peer interaction, and common adolescent anxieties.He takes care to frequently support his ideas, through reference to his own personalexperience, which in turn, adds depth and clear meaning to the text.

The behavioural instances discussed, for example ‘‘school corridor squabbling’’, arerealistic and easily identifiable both in young people today, and upon reflection of our ownchildhood. Luxmoore is successful in reminding us that those issues, which we may nowconsider as unimportant, remain highly significant to teenagers. He repeatedly emphasizesthe importance of listening in dealing with sensitive youth issues, and provides an invaluableand influential text for anyone working with young people, who persistently face theircomplex and confusing behaviour.

These merits of the text, however, can also be seen as its downfalls. The stark reality of theubiquitous, and sometimes mundane, experiences of young people means that, for someonenot working directly with adolescents, the readability is, at times, lower than it really shouldbe. This effect is perhaps heightened by the somewhat dramatic introduction, in whichLuxmoore suggests the Bulger murder case as an example of where listening could haveassisted with these unsolved childhood issues. Not only was this a complete false indicationof what was to come, but it also caused some scepticism of the author’s beliefs, as this claimhad been unsupported and rather ideological.

Through my reading, I also noted a few other suggestions which were presumptuous andlacked evidence. For example, he suggested that the reason as to why many young peopleoffer to be student counsellors for those younger than themselves was because they ‘‘wantedto repair something about their own sibling experience’’. I cannot say that Luxmoore iswrong, but his argument on this point was definitely weak and unsubstantiated.

On the whole, this text definitely suggests an original and empirically successful approachto responding to young people. However, I would recommend that those not working directlywith adolescents, wanting a leisurely read, should give this text a miss. The realistic andhonest nature of the book is ideal for those employed in this domain, but rather decreases thefascination for those who don’t.

Rosemary GrayGraduate in Psychology

University of LincolnU.K.

doi:10.1006/jado.2001.0468

Peer Harassment in School: The Plight of the Vulnerable and Victimized. J. Juvonen andS. Graham (Eds). Guilford Press, 2001. 440 pp. $50.00 (Hbk).

This comprehensive, edited volume addresses a timely and important topic in a scholarly yetreadable manner. It does not discuss the recent rash of school shootings in which chronicpeer harassment appears to have been an antecedent. Highlighting the plight of victims, thevarious leading researchers examine the complex and multifaceted nature of peer harassmentas a phenomenon distinct from aggression. The internationally known authors present