The Psychology of Courage: An Adlerian Handbook for Healthy Social Living

by Julia Yang, Alan Milliren

Courage refers to the willingness for risk taking and to move ahead in the presence of difficulties. The purpose of this book is to present courage as the main foundation of understanding and training for mental health in the three life task areas described by Work, Love, and Friendship. It explores the meaning of each life task and problems of fear, compensation, or evasion, as well as Adlerian insight on socially useful attitudes of approaching the task under discussion. Socratic dialog boxes are included throughout each chapter to encourage the interactivity between the text and readers’ thought processes. Also included is a set of twenty-two helping tools that were creatively designed for self-exercise or to be used to help others uncover or acquire courage. For those in the helping professions, this text will be a unique and valuable handbook for not only working with and helping their clients, but also for their own personal development.

Genres: Psychology

296 pages, Paperback

First published July 29, 2009

About the author

Julia Yang, PhD, NCC, is a Professor of Psychology and Counseling at Governors State University, University Park, Illinois. She received her doctoral degree in counselling from Ohio State University. Yang was an elementary school art teacher and a vocational rehabilitation counselor prior to her career in counselor education. She has taught at Pennsylvania State University at Shippensburg, and California State University at Fresno. She was the founding chair for the counseling department at National Kaohsiung Normal University in Taiwan. She has published journal articles and book chapters about counseling at-risk youths, and spiritual and cultural aspects of work. She is a proud “Adlerian” single mother of two who share the value of education, music, friendship, family, social equality, and God.

Reviews

[Blaze-Pascal · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is okay. Makes me nauseous at time reading it. It's non-critical introduction to some "Adlerian" ideas. The author kind of takes their own interpretation of things and links it all to courage. The thing that this book is missing is what Foucault refers to as the Courage of Truth. I would rename this the Courage to live peacefully in the world and not disrupt things. However, do you think people shouldn't disrupt things? Is this a book on complacency, masked with the intention of "peace". Uncomfortable experience reading this book, but I see that it means well, but meaning well doesn't hide the "banality of evil".
The end of the book is a bunch of tools and exercises you can use within the Adlerian model of counselling.

[Degan Walters · Rating 3 out of 5]

Assigned reading for school. It explains the Adlerian concepts but with a loose and self-help feel more than a textbook.

[Abby Aitken · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for a book report for class. It was very interesting! I love Adlerian therapy, so I was happy to dive deeper in Adler’s concepts and techniques especially related to courage. I’m such a perfectionist, so I really resonated with this book. I also loved all the quotes in this book!

[Meredith Hammond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insight, especially about the life-task of work.