Reviews for Self And Social Identity

The average rating for Self And Social Identity based on 2 reviews is 2 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-09-20 00:00:00 Terry Bardsley Though it did indeed encompass the life of Niko Tinbergen, it had far too much of an academic slant, and focused far too much on the academic work and achievements of Tinbergen, to properly appeal to a wider audience. Additionally, I found there to be far too much 'Lorenz-bashing' in the book, which appears to either stem from personal experience, or due to the author's hero-worship of Tinbergen (who the author seemed to consider much-maligned in Konrad Lorenz's favour - going into great detail, emphasising all the qualities that made Tinbergen the better scientist, and the inferior traits of Lorenz that confirmed this). It also struck me as reticent of partisan-politics, which has no place in academic literature, or wide-spread literature (or, arguably, politics). I digress. However, the ending of the penultimate chapter (which I feel should really have been the final chapter, with 'Niko's Legacy' making a suitable epilogue), was rather touching. The last page or so was devoted to the passing of Lies and Niko, who we had followed throughout the book. The final line, simple but apt (perhaps representative of Niko himself), misted my eyes, upon reading it for the first time, and just now (13/05/16), when I re-read it, just before returning it to my university library; and was deeply symbolic of the partnership, and relationship, between the two scientific greats. "Konrad Lorenz had died two months after Niko."

Review # 2 was written on 2012-06-03 00:00:00 Ann Baldwin This wonderful biography is written by one of Tinbergen's students. It offers a very lively overview of the origins of ethology. The title seems to refer both to the nature that Tinbergen and to Tinburgen's own nature. Tinbergen the person is presented in a complex three dimensional way.By the end I felt almost as though I knew him. That is not to say that I felt that I understood him. Particularly compelling for me was the way in which Kruuk portrayed the impact of Tinbergen's episodes of severe depression. It is a story of great triumph, but in the end a sad one.