Series - Life code in 30 minutes - the expert guide to dr. phil mcgraws critically

INTRODUCTION

At a Glance

This book is an extended review of Life Code: The New Rules for Winning in the Real World, by Phil McGraw, PhD, best known simply as Dr. Phil. As the title implies, the book is all about creating a new Life Code by building self-confidence and resilience. Life Code presents Dr. Phils step-by-step method for accomplishing that transformation. What comes first, he says, is wising up to the Evil Eight and the Nefarious 15the classic strategies and tactics that constitute the secret playbook of dangerous, antisocial individuals who prey on good, trusting, well-meaning people. With those tactics exposed and challenged, the bad guys are disarmed, Dr. Phil says, and good people can put his Sweet 16 mind-set into action and get more of what they want in their lives.

The review begins with a brief introduction to Life Code. Next comes a section that includes information about the book and the author, a summary of readers responses to the bookthe good and the not so good, from professional reviewers as well as from bloggers and other interested readersand a synopsis of Life Code. That section is followed by a detailed discussion of the books key concepts. Finally, the main points of this review are briefly restated, in a way that may well inspire you to get your own copy of Dr. Phils book and see for yourself why Life Code is such a favorite with readers. Also included are a list of key terms used in Life Code and recommendations for further reading about taking personal responsibility for life events, setting goals, dealing with antisocial personalities, and engaging in successful negotiations.

Understanding
Life Code

ABOUT THE BOOK

Life Code is a book deeply rooted in the personal experiences of its author and in his exploration of how it happened that people sometimes succeeded in cheating, exploiting, and betraying him over the course of his thirty-five years in private practice as a psychologist.

In many ways, Life Code is a true lessons learned book, built layer upon layer: first Dr. Phils detailed listing of all the soul-crushing personalities he has encountered over the years, and then his dispassionate analysis of the things these bad guys (not all of them men) had in common. Another layer of Life Code was built from Dr. Phils exhaustive search of the psychological literature, which naturally included the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the mental health professionals bible. But his literature search uncovered nothing specifically pertaining to the garden-variety miscreants described in Life Code, and so Dr. Phil took it upon himself to create an original resource for readers to use in regaining control over their lives. Still another essential layer of Life Code is made up of Dr. Phils observations regarding what successful people consistently do to gain and maintain a favorable position in life.

Life Code, published by Dr. Phils own imprint, Bird Street Books, has been well received by the authors legion of fans since it debuted in February 2013 on the New York Times best-seller list. The book has also been listed as a best seller by the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dr. Phil was born Phillip Calvin McGraw in 1950 in Vinita, Oklahoma. He and his family moved among the states of Oklahoma, Texas, and Kansas as his father made the transition from a career in the oil industry to a private practice in psychology.

Before he became a television self-help guru, Dr. Phil had a brief career as a middle linebacker when he attended the University of Tulsa on a football scholarship. He transferred as a sophomore to Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, where he completed his undergraduate studies in psychology in 1975. A year later, he earned his MA in psychology at the University of North Texas, and he was awarded a PhD in clinical psychology by the same university in 1979, the year he went into private practice with his father.

On his way to becoming the host of the long-running Dr. Phil, Americas top-rated daytime talk show, he ran a popular self-motivation seminar called Pathways, and in 1989 he launched a company that taught lawyers how to use principles of psychology in the courtroom. It was through this consulting business that he met Oprah Winfrey, who helped launch his talk-show career. Dr. Phil is noted for the hosts commonsense approach to helping families and individuals improve their lives.

Dr. Phil has written thirteen books in addition to Life Code, a list that includes six New York Times best sellers. He lives in Beverly Hills, California, with his wife, Robin McGraw, also a best-selling author. In addition to hosting his talk show and writing books, Dr. Phil flies single-engine airplanes as a private pilot with an instrument rating.

CRITICAL RECEPTION

Mainstream book reviewers tend to ignore individual self-help books. Therefore, apart from information provided by major media outlets about Life Codes sales, the reactions reported in this section represent a sample of articles or brief mentions of the book that were published on special-interest websites and blogs. Additional reactions represented here were culled from surveys of comments posted in response to online articles about the book and from reader reviews associated with Life Code at booksellers online sites.

The Upside

Life Code received an overwhelmingly positive reception from Dr. Phils fan base when the book debuted in February 2013. According to listings published by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Chicago Tribune, the Detroit Free Press, the San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today, and the Reuters news agency, the book achieved instant best-seller status.

Online writers and other commenters have expressed strong support for the book, praising its insights and practical advice. For example, Robin Shin, writing for the student newspaper at Bakersfield College, says that although she may be nave or desperate for advice, she finds the book quite valuable: This book really helped me get a better view of life. My life. (http://www.therip.com/reviews/2013/03/14/dr-phils-life-code-gives-readers-surprising-insight). That reaction to Life Code is echoed in less formal reviews written by countless readers who recommend the book as a no-nonsense field guide to the selfish, aggressive, malignant narcissists who seem to be everywhere these days in greater numbers than ever before, making life miserable for everyone else.

The Downside

Even though Dr. Phil himself is a beloved figure, a number of readers have responded to Life Code with something less than love. For some, the book relies too much on both gimmickry and common sense, as if the author, after more than a decade in the public eye, no longer has anything new or original to say. Others have found that reading the book left them with an unpleasantly jaded worldview, as if no one can or should be trusted ever again.

SYNOPSIS

In eight chapters divided into two parts, Life Code offers readers a new book of rules for life in todays world.

Part 1, The Real-World Bad Guys: How to Spot and Defeat Them, consists of three chapters, which openly state and discuss a fact that many people have a hard time admitting (not to mention taking any kind of positive action to correct) that the bad guys are all around, and that they will continue to be winners in the game of life unless good people do something to stop them. Its not fair, the author acknowledges, but no referee is going to show up and make things right; in the end, everyone either becomes a player or gets played. But Dr. Phil wrote