Review of General types of superior men

Abstract

Reviews the book, General types of superior men by Osias L. Schwarz (1916). The book contains ten chapters which may well be grouped into six divisions as follows: (1) Ch. I, Definition, General Characteristics of Genius and Talent, Ch. II, Origin and Conditions; (2) Ch. III, Types of Superior Men, Intellectual Hierarchy; (3) Ch. IV, Creative Life, Ch. V, Affective Life, Ch. VI, Striving Life; (4) Ch. VII, Influence upon the Masses; (5) Ch. VIII, Appreciation; and (6) Ch. IX, Normality and Abnormality. The title of the book would be truer to the discussion with the word "superior" omitted, as all classes are treated, but emphasis is placed on the highest type of person, the genius. With this individual the author compares the talented man and the philistines, or average persons. The author has crowded his statements full of ideas and his sentences almost resemble aphorisms. The book will be of interest to students of social psychology and sociology, and to the layman who wishes a popular treatment of the characteristics of the elite group in comparison with the philistine group. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)