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Description: Understanding Human Nature has long been regarded as the definitive handbook of Alfred Adler’s Individual Psychology, central to which is the belief that we are goal-oriented, decision-making beings responsible for our own behavior-and capable of changing it. Here Adler explores the development of our personality, introducing all his key themes to explore the nature of the psyche, how character forms, how we see the world, and how we become who we are. Straightforward and clearly written, this new translation introduces the seminal thinking of a great mind and provides a basis for understanding both Adler’s unique theories and the development of twentieth-century psychology in which his work has played such important Part.
Contents: Foreword • Introduction • Part One: Fundamentals of Character Development • What is the psyche? • The concept of consciousness • The function of the psyche • Our purpose and goal-directedness • Social Aspects of Mental Life • The absolute truth • The need for communal life • Security and adaptation • Social feeling • The Child and Society • Infancy • The effect of obstacles • The individual as a social being • The World We Live In • Our mental universe • The way we see the world • Perception • Memory • Imagination • Aspects of Unreality • Fantasy • Dreams: general considerations • Empathy and identification • Influence, suggestion and hypnosis • The Inferiority Complex • Early childhood • Compensation: The striving for recognition and superiority • The graph of life and the cosmic picture • Psychological Characteristics • Preparation for life • Attention and distraction • Criminal negligence and forgetfulness • The unconscious • Dreams • Intelligence • Male and Female • Men, women and the division of labour • Male dominance • The alleged inferiority of women • Rejecting the woman"s role • Tension between the sexes • What can we do? • The Family Constellation • Part Two: The Science of Character • General Considerations • How do we become who we are? • Social feeling, community spirit and the development of character • How character develops • The old school of psychology • Temperament and endocrine secretion • To sum up • Aggressive Character Traits • Vanity and ambition • Playing God • Jealousy • Envy • Greed • Hate • Non-Aggressive Character Traits • Withdrawal • Anxiety • Timidity • The detour syndrome • Absence of social graces • Other Expressions of Character • Mood and temperament • Manner of speech • Schoolroom behaviour • Pedantry and prejudice • Submissiveness • Imperiousness • Bad luck • Religiosity • Feelings and Emotions • Disjunctive feelings • Conjunctive feelings • General Remarks on Child-Rearing and Education • Conclusion • Glossary of Key Terms.ISBN - 9781851686674
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Pages : 240
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