If Books Could Kill

Peter and Michael discuss "Surrounded by Idiots," a book that dares to ask: Can the mystery of human relationships be unraveled by a workplace personality assessment?
Where to find us: 
Our Patreon
Our merch!
Peter's newsletter
Peter's other podcast, 5-4
Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Sources:
Pioneers, Drivers, Integrators, and Guardians
Creator of Lie Detector Test Dies; Lecturer and Author Produced Comic Strip
One of Sweden's biggest scientific bluffs 
Pseudoscience and the Claim of Practical Utility: The Case of Thomas Erikson's Surrounded by Idiots
Thomas Erikson accepts being called a pop psychology writer
Four personality types may be neither robust nor exhaustive
Spuriouser and spuriouser: The use of ipsative personality tests
Reconsidering the use of personality tests in personnel selection contexts
Using Personality Tests in Pre-Employment Screening
Employment Tests and Selection Procedures 
The Cult of Personality Testing
A history of the early days of personality testing in American industry: an obsession with adjustment  
Psychological Testing in Personnel Selection, Part II: The Refinement of Methods and Standards in Employee Selection
Psychological Testing in Personnel Selection, Part III: The Resurgence of Personality Testing
ACLU Files Discrimination Complaint Against CVS 
Target Corporation to Pay $2.8 Million to Resolve EEOC Discrimination Finding
Personality Tests Are the Astrology of the Office
The $2 Billion Question of Who You Are at Work
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

In 1993, a desperate man stumbled into a remote village in the foothills of the Karakoram mountains. After the residents nursed him back to health, he placed his hands on the village elder's shoulders and made a sacred promise. "Somehow," he said, "I am going to get some private jet reimbursements out of this." 
Warning: Contains spoilers for the 2016 film "Arrival." 
Thanks to Ted Callahan for helping us fact-check this episode!
Where to find us: 
Our Patreon
Our merch!
Peter's newsletter
Peter's other podcast, 5-4
Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Sources:
Three Cups of Deceit
“60 Minutes” expose
3000 Cups of Deceit
Books vs Bombs? Humanitarian development and the narrative of terror in Northern Pakistan
Delusional States
Can't Get There From Here
Nobel Prize Nominee’s Charity Wins No Award for Accountability
David Oliver Relin, Adventurous Journalist, Dies at 49
What Mortenson Got Wrong
Three Cups of Tea: The Pakistan and Afghan side
3 Lessons to Learn From Greg Mortenson 
Mortenson returns to Afghanistan
The naive republic of aid: Grassroots exceptionalism in humanitarian memoir
Religious School Enrollment in Pakistan: A Look at the Data
If you build it, will they come?
What Really Works to Improve Learning in Developing Countries?
The madrassa scapegoat
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

You know that book your friend recommended? The one that rigorously describes the science of trauma, de-stigmatizes abuse and promotes effective treatments? Well here’s the thing: It doesn't actually do that.
Thanks to Emi Nietfield, Keith Cox, Lisa Starr, Richard McNally, Kevin McGuire and everyone else who helped us research and fact-check this episode! 
Where to find us: 
Our Patreon
Our merch!
Peter's newsletter
Peter's other podcast, 5-4
Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Sources:
What the Most Famous Book About Trauma Gets Wrong
Trauma: A Genealogy
Remembering Trauma
Advocates of Research-Supported Treatments for PTSD are Losing 
Tell Me Why It Hurts
‘The Body Keeps the Score’ offers uncertain science
Your Brain Is Not an Onion With a Tiny Reptile Inside  
PTSD and complex PTSD: a review of reviews
What Does It Mean When 38% Forget?
Multiple Identity Enactments and Multiple Personality Disorder: A Sociocognitive Perspective
The Brain Is Adaptive Not Triune
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

Peter and Michael discuss "Think And Grow Rich," the 1937 classic written by a lifelong fraudster who finds his final mark: You.
Where to find us: 
Our Patreon
Our merch!
Peter's newsletter
Peter's other podcast, 5-4
Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Sources:
The Untold Story of Napoleon Hill, the Greatest Self-Help Scammer of All Time
A Lifetime of Riches
How to Lose Friends and Alienate People
How a Different America Responded to the Great Depression
The Psychic Scandal
How Trump Turned The Power of Positive Thinking Into Delusion
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

In 2013, education reformers tried to help poor students the using the best tool at their disposal: The 16th most popular Ted Talk.
Special thanks to Marcus Credé! 
Where to find us: 
Our Patreon
Our merch!
Peter's newsletter
Peter's other podcast, 5-4
Mike's other podcast, Maintenance Phase
Sources:
Much Ado About Grit
What Shall We Do About Grit?
Grit under attack
Teaching “Grit”
The Problem With Grit
The Limits of “Grit”
Grit: The power of passion and perseverance
Is 'Grit' Doomed To Be The New Self-Esteem?
Measurement Matters
Using Psychological Science to Help Children Thrive
Self-Control and Academic Achievement
Cognitive and noncognitive predictors of success
Should non-cognitive skills be included in school accountability systems?
Measuring Students’ Non-Cognitive Skills and the Impact of Schooling
Grit: A Short History of a Useful Concept
Teaching Kids 'Grit' is All the Rage.
"Grit" Revisited
Character Education: A Cautionary Note
What if the Secret to Success Is Failure?
The Effects of the EITC on Child Achievement
Academic Performance And Food Stamps
Thanks to Mindseye for our theme song!
Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod