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Human Relation and Personified Relational Disorders by K. Shams, M.D. Lulu
book review by Caroline Blaha-Black
"Along with the air to breathe, food to eat, shelter to be secured, and clothes to wear, human relation serves as a fundamental need for survival."
Dr. K. Shams, a medical director of the Neuropsychiatric Center in Pensacola, Florida, answers a plethora of questions about human relational disorders and human relations in this professionally-written tome. According to the author, a human relation is defined as an interaction between two persons for the purpose of association or sharing emotional or intellectual materials and services. A healthy or an ill relation determines the happiness of the individual. Since our society desires individuals with balanced personalities, it is, therefore, essential that we relate to each other well in order to survive, as ill relations can adversely affect our quality of life.
Dr. Shams devotes the first three chapters of the book to the human condition and experience, relational disorders, roles of emotions, and the development of the human personality among other topics. A helpful reference point is in Chapter Two, where the author breaks down each human emotion (examples: acceptance, or bitterness) describing what it is, what does it do, and what brings it on.
Chapters Four through Six delve in detail into recognizable traits of disorders. In Chapter Four, each disorder has a list of adjectives that describe it (narcissistic disorder: arrogant, snobbish, etc.) Personal and specific relational disorders are also discussed (schizoid, histrionic, etc), and how such a person sees the world around them. Finally, the author highlights the treatment and management of these disorders in a short chapter at the end of the book.
Dr. Shamss book is a well-written medical compendium, full of thorough information from the neuropsychiatric field. The author adopts a casual tone that seeks to inform, not to judge, and the cover is easy on the eyes and matches the professional content of the book. This would be a fascinating resource for any student of psychiatry, or for someone who wants to learn more about how people relate to each other.