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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Okay, I have mixed feelings about this one. It seems I've been living my life following most of what Adler preaches, without even knowing about him and his theories.
That being said, I don't agree with everything said in the book, specifically regarding mental health issues and trauma. Some people cannot simply change their mindset and need medication. But then again, Adler has been dead for a long time, we've made significant progress since his death, there's a lot he couldn't have known back then.
It's a challenging book in the sense that it might touch a nerve when you read it, if you're the type to blame a lot of things on your life and the people around you.
A lot of readers who have given this book bad reviews seem to have given up on it after the chapter about trauma (barely 15% in). In my opinion, it's worth pushing further and ignoring the outdated views about that topic.
As with most books like this one, I think it's important to take what you need, what can be applied to you to improve your life, and leave out the rest. Find what works for you.
That being said, I don't agree with everything said in the book, specifically regarding mental health issues and trauma. Some people cannot simply change their mindset and need medication. But then again, Adler has been dead for a long time, we've made significant progress since his death, there's a lot he couldn't have known back then.
It's a challenging book in the sense that it might touch a nerve when you read it, if you're the type to blame a lot of things on your life and the people around you.
A lot of readers who have given this book bad reviews seem to have given up on it after the chapter about trauma (barely 15% in). In my opinion, it's worth pushing further and ignoring the outdated views about that topic.
As with most books like this one, I think it's important to take what you need, what can be applied to you to improve your life, and leave out the rest. Find what works for you.
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
I got more from the title than I did the book. I found the story to be "hippy-dippy" and not practical for application.
In the style of a Socratic discussion, The Courage to Be Disliked follows a conversation between a philosopher and a young man. This style does feel patronizing at times, but I grew to appreciate it while reading. I would recommend not going into the book like I did, however, assuming that the "young man" should reflect my thoughts and questions about Adlerian psychology. I found myself disagreeing with the young man just as often as the philosopher.
There's quite a lot I liked in this book, most of which was it's focus on accountability and emphasis on personal freedom. The sentiment most people seem to bump up against is the repeated statement "Trauma does not exist." I agree that it was a grossly exaggerated statement and a harmful one at that. So much so that I couldn't help but feel like the author was intentionally just trying to rile people up. I don't think I ever quite felt his argument for the statement was strong enough. The emphasis on it frustrated me even more because it distracted from what I felt was the core sentiment: “No matter what has occurred in your life up to this point, it should have no bearing at all on how you live from now on.’ That you, living in the here and now, are the one who determines your own life.” To me, that feels starkly different from the idea that "Trauma does not exist." Maybe it's just a matter of semantics, but I think the semantics in this case are very important.
In general, there's just a lot of nuance that I felt was missing from this book. I think the core ideas in this book were very interesting, but the book itself was a miss for me. I don't regret finishing it, but didn't get nearly as much from it as I hoped. And if you're in search of a life-changing book, I'd maybe look somewhere else first.
There's quite a lot I liked in this book, most of which was it's focus on accountability and emphasis on personal freedom. The sentiment most people seem to bump up against is the repeated statement "Trauma does not exist." I agree that it was a grossly exaggerated statement and a harmful one at that. So much so that I couldn't help but feel like the author was intentionally just trying to rile people up. I don't think I ever quite felt his argument for the statement was strong enough. The emphasis on it frustrated me even more because it distracted from what I felt was the core sentiment: “No matter what has occurred in your life up to this point, it should have no bearing at all on how you live from now on.’ That you, living in the here and now, are the one who determines your own life.” To me, that feels starkly different from the idea that "Trauma does not exist." Maybe it's just a matter of semantics, but I think the semantics in this case are very important.
In general, there's just a lot of nuance that I felt was missing from this book. I think the core ideas in this book were very interesting, but the book itself was a miss for me. I don't regret finishing it, but didn't get nearly as much from it as I hoped. And if you're in search of a life-changing book, I'd maybe look somewhere else first.
challenging
informative
slow-paced
The first thing that grabbed my attention regarding this book was the layout; a dialogue between an old philosopher and a struggling youth. The book had many thought-provoking topics of conversation and often left me thinking about these ideas long after I had put the book down. A personal favourite topic being the idea of rejecting cause and effect and how you cannot blame your past for the current situation you are in, you need to have the courage to change your situation and lifestyle yourself. Ichiro Kishimi & Fumitake Koga delve deeply into the concept of Adlerian psychology and certain ideas will perhaps rub people the wrong way and have you shaking your head in disagreement, but then again... that's what all great debates should do.
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
This is a great book to learn about Alfred Adler’s psychology. I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in his psychology, especially interpersonal relationships. Adler’s concepts are both funny and simply complicated—funny in the sense that he makes everything seem so simple and positive. But complicated in a way that It doesn’t make sense.
If you’re someone who enjoys opening up to new perspectives on life, this is a great book to read. However, if you’re looking for straightforward answers, this might not be the book for you—you’ll need to find something more structured and formal.
I personally loved reading this one, even though it was somewhat hard to finish because I kept questioning certain ideas, like ‘What makes him think it’s okay when it’s not?’ Still, I came away with many questions about his psychology (which I’ll need to explore further). But at the end of the day, I found it really interesting to read and managed absorb the book’s main concept.
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced