The Curse of the Self

Self-Awareness, Egotism, and the Quality of Human Life
Erscheinungsjahr 2007
ISBN: 978-0-19-532544-7
Verlag: Oxford University Press

Buch, Englisch, 236 Seiten, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm, Gewicht: 393 g

Despite its obvious advantages, our ability to be self-reflective comes at a high price. Few people realise how profoundly their lives are affected by self-reflection or how frequently inner chatter interferes with their success, pollutes their relationships with others, and undermines their happiness. By allowing people to ruminate about the past or imagine what might happen in the future, self-reflection conjures up a great deal of personal suffering in the form of depression, anxiety, anger, jealousy, and other negative emotions. A great deal of unhappiness, in the form of addictions, overeating, and domestic violence, is due to people's inability to exert control over their thoughts and behaviour. Is it possible to direct our self-reflection in a way that will minimise the disadvantages and maximise the advantages? Is there a way to affect the egotistical self through self-reflection? In this volume, Mark Leary explores the personal and social problems that are created by the capacity for self-reflection, and by drawing upon psychology and other behavioral sciences, offers insights into how these problems can be minimised.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Leary, Mark R.

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Psychologie Allgemeine Psychologie Differentielle Psychologie, Persönlichkeitspsychologie Psychologische Diagnostik, Testpsychologie
• Medizin | Veterinärmedizin Medizin | Public Health | Pharmazie | Zahnmedizin Medizinische Fachgebiete Psychiatrie, Sozialpsychiatrie, Suchttherapie
• Sozialwissenschaften Psychologie Allgemeine Psychologie Sozialpsychologie
• Sozialwissenschaften Psychologie Psychotherapie / Klinische Psychologie
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Familiensoziologie

Über Autor(innen)

Mark R. Leary is Professor of Psychology at Duke University. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, and former president of the International Society for Self and Identity. He was named by the Institute for Scientific Information as among the 25 most productive scholars in psychology (1986-1990).