Doob's central thesis is that some beliefs function mainly to help the believer cope with life's uncertainties. The coping mechanism that is the focus of Doob's book is a belief that certain things in life are inevitable. . . . Doob methodically explores the origin and nature of inevitablility beliefs, and like his pervious titles in social psychology, this is a theoretical analysis. . . . The book is well written and carefully organized but demanding to read; Doob attributes this to the inherent difficulty of the subject--he is probably right. "Choice"

This book examines the ways in...

This book provides an analysis of the human phenomenon of hesitation, the time elapsing between the stimulation of a person and that person's response. The views of disciplines as diverse as physiology and philosophy are examined, with special emphasis placed on psychology and the social sciences. Leonard Doob seeks to determine when and why human beings are impulsive or reflective, and whether, from their standpoint and that of others, their own hesitation should be extremely brief, long, or protractive. The volume also cites and summarizes relevant studies and derives guidelines related...