Telling the Success Story: Acclaiming and Disclaiming Discourse (Suny Series in Speech Communication)

Rating:
Summary: Very Good Book
Review: * I believe that this book is best suited for academic readers, thus, my review is aimed at that audience*

I found this book to be very useful in several respects, particularly as it contributed to the literature on entitlements and enhancements and incorporated the use of what the author refers to as 'disclaiming' strategies (dissociations; detractions) to downplay one's success(es). Very well done.

That said, as one who does research in this area, I noticed a few things that I felt detracted from the overall quality and appropriateness of the work.

1. I would have preferred to see a more precise and telling use of terminology for some of the new(ish) concepts introduced... 'disclaiming', after all, is not a new term whatsoever in the broader impression management literature. In fact, the term is widely used to refer to strategies that seek to distance oneself (or others) from negative phenomena. Likewise, the term 'dissociation' is far too broad/general to refer to diminishing one's responsibility for otherwise positive phenomena.

2. The concept of ingratiation (Jones, 1964; Jones & Pittman, 1982)- seeking the perception or attribution of likability - is never mentioned explicitly, although its component facets (e.g., rendering favors; opinion conformity) are discussed. To discuss the facets of ingratiation without ever recognizing the parent concept from which they flow is strange to me, especially when the parent concept is so widely recognized and seminal to this area of work.

3. The concept of self-promotion (Jones & Pittman, 1982) - seeking the attribution of competence - is never explicitly mentioned, either. This too is very odd to me, in that the key thrust/idea of the book (in my opinion) is in dealing with what Jones and Pittman (1982) referred to as the 'self-promoter's paradox' -> i.e., seeking the perception of competence in the eyes of others while avoiding the appearance of immodesty/self-aggrandizement. (I must add here that I view entitlement and enhancement as components of self-promotion).

Despite these quibbles, all in all, I found this to be a very worthwhile read and solid contribution to the image/impression management literature.

Rating:
Summary: Incredibly interesting and mentally stimulating book
Review: This book by Pam Benoit is a wonderful description of how people respond to success. This is a book that anyone who has experienced personal or professional successes will appreciate. Benoit describes the delicate process of balancing complimenting, bragging, modesty, and self-enhancement. Useful for individuals, businesses, and any other organizations who want to understand how to create a favorable impression when they describe their successes. It includes stories of athletes, Mary Kay consultants, and Nobel Prize Winners all in the context of intricate analyses of interpersonal accomplishments.