Individuality, the Impossible Project

by Carlo Strenger

Strenger, Carlo

Genres: Psychology

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Carlo Strenger was a Swiss and Israeli psychologist, philosopher, existential psychoanalyst and public intellectual who served as professor of psychology and philosophy at Tel Aviv University.

Reviews

[Dierregi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Self-creation as the only possibility to have a worthwhile life is the theme of this book, explored by the author, a psychologist who describes five cases, five patients treated for different problems but all in need to overcome a difficult past.

The interesting comment in the Epilogue explains clearly why people in need of self-creation may consider themselves "defective and doomed": "...parental psychopathology is turned into the source of all problems... it implies that we are entitled to a good childhood and we are condemned to be unhappy if we have been deprived of it. This can lead to feeling like the victim of a cruel fate."

Self-creation offers a chance to overcome a difficult childhood, although the problem with that is that often people know what they DO NOT want to be but are confused as far as WHO they want to be and all this, keeping into consideration that the human experience is incredibly messy and difficult, because, as the author notes "we have evolved through a process that has nothing to do with happiness or living a worthwhile life".

[Maya Orbach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable, interesting, and thought-provoking, although it was a bit wordy at times.