Uniqueness: The Human Pursuit of Difference

by C.R. Snyder

My Red Shirt and Me The red shirt incident begins with a rather ordinary red shirt. Not a brightly colored red shirt, not a dramatic cherry or firehouse red, more like a faded burgundy. But, for several days, my very iden­ tity was bound up in its redness. It was me, and I wore it with the pride a matador takes in his splendid cape, a hero in his medals of bravery, or a nun in her religious habit. I'll never forget the bound­ less joy I felt wearing that simple, pullover, short-sleeved red shirt in the hospital--or the rush of relief that I experienced when, at last, I decided to surrender it. However, we are getting ahead of our story, which starts a short time earlier with a most unfortunate accident. A light flurry of wet snow had begun to fall as the university limousine turned the corner on its way from the Bronx campus of New York University to the downtown campus. Although eight of us were packed into the car and had resigned ourselves to the usual boring faculty meeting awaiting us, somehow a spontaneous air of joviality was created.

Hardcover

First published April 30, 1980

About the author

Full name: Charles Richard “Rick” Snyder

Professor Rick Snyder is internationally known for his work at the interface of clinical, social, personality and health psychology. His theories pertain to how people react to personal feedback, the human need for uniqueness, the ubiquitous drive to excuse transgressions and, most recently, the hope motive.

He has received 27 teaching awards at the university, state, and national level, and 31 research awards, including the 2002 Balfour Jeffrey Award for Research Achievement in Humanities and Social Science and the 2001 Guilford Press Award for Pioneering Scholarly Contributions in Clinical/Social/Personality Psychology. In 2005, he received an honorary doctorate from Indiana Wesleyan University.

Professor Synder's research focuses on the ideas of hope and forgiveness. As a pioneer in the positive psychology movement, he has written or edited 23 books, including six books he wrote on the theory of hope. His books and 262 articles describe hope’s impact on various aspects of life, including health, children, spirituality and work.

Reviews

[Leonardo]

Los individuos asumen identidades concretas por la manera en que conciben y crean –y luego poseen y emplean– los bienes sociales. “La línea entre lo que yo soy y lo que es mío es difícil de trazar”, escribió William James.

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