ADHD Confessions: Rousseau as self-help

by Richard Orange

The famed philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau described in himself a restlessness, impulsivity and distractibility which would today almost certainly warrant diagnosis with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In ADHD Rousseau as Self Help, Richard Orange shows how what Rousseau called his “restless temperament” helped him generate bold, original ideas in fields as diverse as music, education, literature, autobiography, and political science, influencing both the leaders of the French Revolution and the writers of the US Constitution. But Rousseau also turned his extraordinary intellect in on his own mind, analysing his restless traits nearly 250 years before they would be framed as a mental disorder. Orange has mined Rousseau’s extraordinary autobiography Confessions, and his two later autobiographical works for useful insights, arguing that together they represent one of the best self-help books yet written for those struggling with restlessness and impulsivity. Rousseau found his unruly mind agonising, but in later life he congratulated himself on his decision to work with rather than try to combat his frustrating traits. He was thankful, he wrote, that he had had the courage to "give in without resistance to nature’s bent”. For all the agony, shame and mental turmoil his racing mind brought him, he saw it as a what made his thinking so unusual and stimulating. As he declared in the introduction to his “If I am no better, at least I am different.” Praise for "Was Rousseau's restless genius a symptom of ADHD?", Richard Orange's previous essay in Aeon Magazine. "You have entirely convinced me that ADHD offers a good way of describing what made life so difficult for Rousseau, but also liberated his genius." – Leo Damrosch, Ernest Bernbaum Professor of Literature Emeritus, Harvard University, and author of Jean-Jacques Restless Genius. "Fascinating read on ADHD. It’s a slam-dunk that the characteristics of Jean-Jacques Rousseau point to ADHD." – Dr Ned Hallowell, ADHD psychiatrist and New York Times bestselling author of ADHD self-help book Delivered from Distraction. "The Enlightenment as we know it may have been very different, far less transformational, had Rousseau not had ADHD." – Thom Hartmann, Radio Host, Author of How to Succeed as a Hunter in a Farmer's World

64 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 15, 2016

Reviews

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite Kindle Single to date

I liked this one. Orange is way more anti medication and way more sunny on Rousseau than I would be, but I like emphasis Orange finds in Rousseau of seeing his ADHD as a gift instead of a liability. I remember when I was diagnosed with hyperactivity as a kid and how awful it felt to be different, and how I had to learn ADHD was part of what made me, me.

[wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Look into ADHD

Interesting short read. Looks at Rousseau's life to dive into ADHD. Since I work with Special Needs children, I read to stay informed. It was a quick discussion about reasons for this special gift. I agreed with a lot of the a it's ideas. A good read.

[Ally · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book but a bit heavy on the medication changes you argument. Medicine is not for everyone but it can be a life changer for some.
It's very focused on a very specific set of ADHD symptoms and your miles may vary with relatability. Still it's helpful being able to see that these things about prominent people from the past finding a way through.

[Keith Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like it

It gave me some inside on the condition as well as other conditions like it. I would like too see what more people have too say about the condition it'self

[Jocelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life changing

Would recommend to anyone experiencing ADHD or bipolar disorder. A great, quick and engaging read. Two thumbs up from me!

[Willem · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt it to be a relief that one of the greatest minds, the 'father of the French Revolution', to have had the same temperament as I experience. Regardless, I did find it this book to be a bit 'hollow' in some regards: the excessive contrasting of this condition with all the others, the blatant magnifications of all the 'wonders' ADHD brings, etc. All whilst giving little perspective of what Rousseau actually managed to do - day to day - how he structured his life, how his ideas came to flourish. The front features a great quote, one I havent seen in the book itself. I would have liked to read more of that in this work.

Regardless of my criticism, I did really enjoy this book. As I'd rather read about Rousseau's experiences than to be served one more selfhelp adhd book which repeatedly supports any modern cliché's about how to feel and how to believe one's condition.

[P A Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My humble opinion

Very enlightening book! My grandson was diagnosed with a high form of autism, and later doctors said it was aspburgers syndrome. Reading this book gave me a good understanding about how his thought processes may work.