The passions of the mind: a biographic novel of Sigmund Freud
The passions of the mind: a biographic novel of Sigmund Freud
There are probably more misconceptions about Sigmund Freud than any other psychologist, or to be precise, medical doctor. My knowledge about Freud was limited to what I learned in my bachelor program and I felt that it was time to find out more about the founder of psychoanalysis. Therefore, when my PhD endeavor took me to a conference in Vienna, I decided to mix business with pleasure and grabbed Freud’s narrative biography written by Irving Stone. Irving Stone is a... / more
Sex, murder, and the meaning of life
Sex, murder, and the meaning of life
Kenrick has a very nice writing style and is quite self-deprecating in most of the anecdotes he presents. In his book Sex, Murder and the Meaning of Life, Kenrick talks about his years growing up in a tough neighborhood, his priorities in the different times of his life, and finally provides some advice based on his experience. His approach is to explain how and why humans behave in particular ways from an evolutionary psychologist’s perspective. However, this book was not... / more
Your Freudian Psychoanalysis… in five hours, not five years
Your Freudian Psychoanalysis… in five hours, not five years
Freud’s genius has left an indelible mark on the field of psychology. For decades, Freudian Psychoanalysis was the gold standard in psychotherapeutic treatment. However, the process of psychoanalytic psychotherapy can be costly and could keep the client in therapy for years as a regular couch attendant. As a result, the clients might attain the insights they seek to know about their inner enigmas which have engendered a subjective and perceived neurosis, and healing might ensue. Anthony Dugdale, a psychology instructor... / more
The Time Paradox: the new psychology of time that will change your life.
The Time Paradox: the new psychology of time that will change your life.
Not by chance did I read the latest book by Zimbardo and Boyd, called The Time Paradox: The New Psychology of Time That Will Change Your Life shortly before Christmas. Doing so, I had two goals in mind. Firstly, I am establishing a custom of giving personal Christmas gifts, i.e. books that I like and specifically chose for someone in particular. Therefore, when Christmas approaches my books-to-read list is filled with titles that I have gathered throughout the year as... / more
BLINK: The power of thinking without thinking
BLINK: The power of thinking without thinking
Malcolm Gladwell is a well-known journalist. His writing skills are extraordinary. Consequently, his book BLINK is well readable and describes the concepts Gladwell presents in a way that is easy to understand. I don’t think I would go too far by calling BLINK one of the grandmothers of modern popular scientific books that deal with psychological matters. The term blink refers to the blink of an eye, that is, to a very short moment that leaves no time for conscious... / more
Depression as a spiritual journey
Depression as a spiritual journey
Is human suffering an inevitable manifestation of life, or is it a divine and sadistic test of human faith and will to survive? Are suffering and pain the great sanctifiers that cleanse the soul from impurities, or are they the masochistic and mandatory passages toward maturity, wisdom, and emancipation from the banalities of life? Unfortunately, human suffering is multifaceted and assumes many shapes. Whether it is physical, emotional or mental the ensuing results would be either an utter anger and... / more
The meaning: poetic and spiritual reflections
The meaning: poetic and spiritual reflections
The search for meaning is a journey that every human being must take in order to make sense of the futility, the emptiness, and the alienation that an indifferent universe has imposed us by random or by divine retribution from the moment of birth and until death. It is often lauded when a skilled author is able to capture his inner most experiences and transduce it into meaningful words that communicate the strangulated truth that was once stifled by a... / more
Psychotherapy: lives intersecting
Psychotherapy: lives intersecting
As a psychotherapist you come into contact with your clients and build a high level of intimacy within a relatively short period of time. You try to use all your professional skills to help the client build up their ressources or resolve their inner conflicts in order to live a more happy and fulfilled life. The shortcoming is that, in case you are succesful, you never see your clients again. Most practitioners accept that fact without a further ado and... / more
Skill sheets. An integrated approach to research, study and management
Skill sheets. An integrated approach to research, study and management
When it comes to studying skills, usually psychologists are asked for advice – cognitive and developmental psychology provides insights into how we think and learn new things. Therefore, the fact that this book was written by an economist is somehow surprising. But it shows that psychology can benefit from adopting the economical point of view on the market of knowledge. / more
Handbook of cxperimental existential psychology
Handbook of cxperimental existential psychology
Existentialism as a philosophy was made popular by the writings of Kierkegaard, Heidegger and Sartre. However, existentialism as a tradition has also had a great impact on psychology, as evidenced by the creation of existential psychotherapy as well as the present work on experimental psychology. How do we define existentialism in relation to psychology? We can say that the common denominator of existential philosophy as compared to existential psychology is what Jean Paul Sartre described as “Existence precedes essence”; “We... / more