Book Reviews

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

During the time I was reading this book, I came across an article in my daily newspaper suggesting that people should begin to worry that free will is an illusion. According to this book, the reporter fell victim to the ill-sketched portrait of the topic drawn by some of the leaders in the debate. The collection of essays (13 of them) in this book emphasize that the discourse concerning free will is still lively and heterogeneous in content and offers... more

In these uncertain and confusing times where ambiguity is considered as clarity, marketing is masquerading as science, and problems of living are labeled as disorders, psychotherapy has become a prevalent fad that replaced the support that was once provided by the extended family and the clergy. Psychotherapists and psychiatrists rely on a variety of techniques and drugs that they bring along in their bag of tricks. Therefore, more tactics are developed to allegedly repair and transform the broken mind. Pause... more

“The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis”- Dante Alighieri Have you ever wondered what it feels like to be a sociopath? Or maybe you would rather not even think about it? M. E. Thomas (a pseudonym), the author of Confessions of a sociopath: A life spent hiding in plain sight doesn’t need to imagine it, she experiences it every day. She is a diagnosed sociopath, and one that seems... more