CONTACT: Ilona Sheehan, Benchmark Publications Inc.
Tel: 800-559-6653 (U.S.) or 203-966-6653
Fax: 203-972-7129; e-mail: benchmark@benchpress.com
DATELINE: July 30, 1998, New Canaan, Connecticut
SPECIAL TO THE CONTROL SYSTEMS GROUP
"Making Sense of Behavior: The Meaning of Control" by William T. Powers is the
long-anticipated introduction to Perceptual Control Theory for lay readers.
Bill Powers is chief theorist and co-founder of the Control Systems Group, an
international coalition of scientists and educators devoted to the study and
modeling of control theory as it applies to living systems. Benchmark
Publications is proud to be a participant in bringing these important ideas to
the attention of the general public.
This is Powers' first work for "the rest of us," his fifth on the topic of
what is now known as Perceptual Control Theory (PCT). It's easy to read,
sometimes very funny, and beneath the clean and simple surface, deeply
meaningful. A comprehensive bibliography points to the scientific foundation
of this work.
About Powers' first book, "Behavior: The Control of Perception," Aldine de
Gruyter, 1973, the great Carl R. Rogers wrote, "Here is a profound and
original book with which every psychologist�indeed every behavioral scientist
should be acquainted. . . .a unique theory of the way in which behavior is
controlled in and by the individual, a theory which should spark a great deal
of significant research.� (That book is in its fifth printing.)
This "new" theory of the behavior of living control systems is the result of
more than 25 years of study and experiment by Powers and a dedicated group of
scientists from a broad base of disciplines. They posit a fundamental change
in the way we understand the behavior of living organisms--a scientific theory
that has been successfully modeled and tested in the lab, in the workplace,
and even in troubled schools.
Making Sense of Behavior is available from Benchmark Publications Inc. 65
Locust Avenue, New Canaan, CT 06840-5328, 203-966-6653. Fax 203-972-7129. It
will be in selected bookstores and libraries in the Fall. Preview Powers'
collected works at www.benchpress.com, and order by credit card ($14.95 U.S. +
s/h) by fax or phone. For more information, e-mail benchmark@benchpress.com.
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Special note to CSG from the publisher:
To members and friends who have waited so long for this announcement, thank
you from all of us at BPI for your patience and support. Special mention
should go to editor Dag Forssell who came the last mile in the Nth hour with
us via e-mail, fax and phone to get the book on press, and to Richard Marken
for allowing us to re-quote his eloquent tribute to the author (from Living
Control Systems) on the back cover of this book.
CSG will be pleased to note that even before the first press release was out,
queries were coming in from several countries, many universities and people
all over the U.S. and Canada. We wish you success in your studies and look
forward to reading about new applications of PCT. Alice McElhone
P.S. As we begin our campaign to launch Making Sense, you may notice press
releases in publications you read. We would very much appreciate receiving
copies for our records. Please include the dateline and name of the
publication. Thanks. APMcE
