Wambach's role as a dispute mediator and counselor prompted her to assemble this book on the dynamics of power and handling situations wherein power is abused. The author delves into the nature of hierarchies and notes that conflict within social groups turns into rankism when those in charge promote themselves and their interests while bringing harm to a person or community. Wambach explores both overt rankists, such as tyrants and gangsters, and covert rankists, such as snubbers and gatekeepers, and advises on how to handle their power plays. Nobody rankists are also analyzed, as they retaliate by placating, flattering, or gossiping. This insightful book, written for a college-level audience and beyond, could potentially serve a wide audience, especially among business self-help readers. --Deborah Bigelow, Director, Leonia P.L., NJ - Library Journal
School shootings, abuses of power in the workplace, and spousal or child abuse are results of what Dr. Julie Wambach calls rankism, or the abuse of position within a hierarchy. Wambach identifies rankists as individuals who move to meet their personal needs while depriving others of their own. They treat humans as objects without concern for individual feelings or safety. Rankist behaviors, whether exhibited by those considered somebodies, or those seen as nobodies within a group, have damaging consequences for the individuals who engage in them, the groups to which they belong, and often, to innocent bystanders. All social ...
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