When people ask me what I learned in grad school that was actually directly valuable and useful, I tell them about transactional analysis and this book.
Get this book and learn the ten most common games (previous editions used to rank them). Learn the anatomy of each game- the moves and how to recognize when you're in one. Most essentially, learn the move that ends each game: the book details the escape move for each game.
If you can learn at least the top ten, your time will have been incredibly well spent and your life will be measurably better.
This is the sort of technology that, if mastered in your 20s or 30s, will save literally years of poorly-spent time over an aggregate lifetime.
I am glad you chose to write about this book. I read it closer to when it came out, and all I remember is "Let's You and Him Fight." There was a lot of resentment toward the book back then, because it sold so well. The topic of human deception and self-deception strikes me as very important and fascinating. It seems relevant to the case of Sam Bankman-Fried.
My youngest son actually had a TA class in his elementary school for kids w/learning disabilities. I think training young kids on stroking at school is a great way to train them to be better office workers. I find it very hard to imagine an office without tons of games, unless the hiring was done mastefully against a powerful, guiding vision/mission. I believe that a toxic office can turn anyone into a master games-person...
Very interesting but it feels like “game” is such an unfortunate choice to describe this behavior. The word has so many very different meanings. Too late to do anything about, of course, but a reminder of why more obscure terms are often used for new concepts.
This line of analysis seems like a classic case of taking the ordinary way too far.
Whether it's the largely tongue in cheek book "Class" or Robert Greene's cult-like teachings, social psych books that you read seem to have an undue influence on you. I'd suggest you raise your skepticism. In any case,, that will come naturally as you grow older.
When people ask me what I learned in grad school that was actually directly valuable and useful, I tell them about transactional analysis and this book.
Get this book and learn the ten most common games (previous editions used to rank them). Learn the anatomy of each game- the moves and how to recognize when you're in one. Most essentially, learn the move that ends each game: the book details the escape move for each game.
If you can learn at least the top ten, your time will have been incredibly well spent and your life will be measurably better.
This is the sort of technology that, if mastered in your 20s or 30s, will save literally years of poorly-spent time over an aggregate lifetime.
Do it.
I am glad you chose to write about this book. I read it closer to when it came out, and all I remember is "Let's You and Him Fight." There was a lot of resentment toward the book back then, because it sold so well. The topic of human deception and self-deception strikes me as very important and fascinating. It seems relevant to the case of Sam Bankman-Fried.
My youngest son actually had a TA class in his elementary school for kids w/learning disabilities. I think training young kids on stroking at school is a great way to train them to be better office workers. I find it very hard to imagine an office without tons of games, unless the hiring was done mastefully against a powerful, guiding vision/mission. I believe that a toxic office can turn anyone into a master games-person...
Very interesting but it feels like “game” is such an unfortunate choice to describe this behavior. The word has so many very different meanings. Too late to do anything about, of course, but a reminder of why more obscure terms are often used for new concepts.
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
This line of analysis seems like a classic case of taking the ordinary way too far.
Whether it's the largely tongue in cheek book "Class" or Robert Greene's cult-like teachings, social psych books that you read seem to have an undue influence on you. I'd suggest you raise your skepticism. In any case,, that will come naturally as you grow older.