Living Life from the Inside Out: Who You Are Matters
Book Details
Author(s)Edward Dreyfus PhD
ISBN / ASINB004O0VGLE
ISBN-13978B004O0VGL8
MarketplaceUnited Kingdom 🇬🇧
Description
As children, we're asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?†As adults we're asked, “What do you do for a living?†We identify with our jobs, they define us. We're often so busy with our jobs, there's little time to question our chosen paths. That is, until life steps in.
The Great Recession of 2008 left hundreds of thousands feeling lost and insecure; a similar but much bigger event occurred in 1929. When such events occur, we could fall into despair or perhaps it could be the time to re-evaluate what we really want out of life. What is most important to you? Most of you would say that you'd like to be better, happier people.
In their pursuit of happiness people have defined themselves by their careers, their money, their possessions. They have acted as though their self-esteem, their self-worth, could be bought. Material acquisition became a way of life. Bigger and more is better. And then in a nanosecond it all can disappear. Wealth vanishes, careers and jobs are wiped out. Then what?
This paradigm could be referred to as living life outside in. Defining oneself by stuff that lies outside of our control, by how things appear on the outside, as though happiness and self-worth can be bought, is living outside in.
This book focuses on a different paradigm: living inside out. Rather than defining oneself by titles, wealth, possessions, acquisitions, and other things, this model requires a look inside of ourselves to discover who we really are. It creates an empowering model that places individuals in control of their life, their personal value, and their happiness, rather than placing external circumstances in control of how we feel about ourselves. Religious thinkers, philosophers, secular humanists have for centuries argued that the pursuit of the “golden calf†will not provide ultimate happiness. Dante spoke of selling one’s soul to the devil when we pursue riches rather than focusing on basis human values. Today, thanks to Positive Psychology, we have empirical evidence to support these claims. Incorporating many of the principles of Positive Psychology, this book brings together the thinking from various approaches to the issue of human happiness into a paradigm called Living Life Inside Out.
Positive psychology has changed the way in which many psychologists view human happiness. Historically clinical psychology and psychiatry have focused on ameliorating psychological pain through studying mental illness, seeking treatments for depression, anxiety, addiction, and the myriad difficulties that confront individuals.
For many years humanistic psychologists, myself among them, have argued that human beings are resilient with the inherent capacity to overcome dysfunctional families, disasters, mind-numbing personal tragedies. They have stated that much, if not most of what we describe as psychopathology is the individual's attempt to adapt to these circumstances. They stressed that more time, effort, and research should be expended in understanding how we can help individuals strengthen their capacity to adapt.
This book places emphasis on teaching people how they learn to strengthen their psychological core just as physical trainers stress core exercises for strengthening the body. One’s psychological core is comprised of values, principles, and social consciousness. Just as our physical core gives strength to how we perform physical exercise or athletic performance, our psychological core gives strength to how we perform in life.
The chapters that follow empower people to create a world in which they are in charge by defining themselves from the inside out rather than the outside in. It creates a foundation that cannot be destroyed regardless of the circumstances of their life.
The Great Recession of 2008 left hundreds of thousands feeling lost and insecure; a similar but much bigger event occurred in 1929. When such events occur, we could fall into despair or perhaps it could be the time to re-evaluate what we really want out of life. What is most important to you? Most of you would say that you'd like to be better, happier people.
In their pursuit of happiness people have defined themselves by their careers, their money, their possessions. They have acted as though their self-esteem, their self-worth, could be bought. Material acquisition became a way of life. Bigger and more is better. And then in a nanosecond it all can disappear. Wealth vanishes, careers and jobs are wiped out. Then what?
This paradigm could be referred to as living life outside in. Defining oneself by stuff that lies outside of our control, by how things appear on the outside, as though happiness and self-worth can be bought, is living outside in.
This book focuses on a different paradigm: living inside out. Rather than defining oneself by titles, wealth, possessions, acquisitions, and other things, this model requires a look inside of ourselves to discover who we really are. It creates an empowering model that places individuals in control of their life, their personal value, and their happiness, rather than placing external circumstances in control of how we feel about ourselves. Religious thinkers, philosophers, secular humanists have for centuries argued that the pursuit of the “golden calf†will not provide ultimate happiness. Dante spoke of selling one’s soul to the devil when we pursue riches rather than focusing on basis human values. Today, thanks to Positive Psychology, we have empirical evidence to support these claims. Incorporating many of the principles of Positive Psychology, this book brings together the thinking from various approaches to the issue of human happiness into a paradigm called Living Life Inside Out.
Positive psychology has changed the way in which many psychologists view human happiness. Historically clinical psychology and psychiatry have focused on ameliorating psychological pain through studying mental illness, seeking treatments for depression, anxiety, addiction, and the myriad difficulties that confront individuals.
For many years humanistic psychologists, myself among them, have argued that human beings are resilient with the inherent capacity to overcome dysfunctional families, disasters, mind-numbing personal tragedies. They have stated that much, if not most of what we describe as psychopathology is the individual's attempt to adapt to these circumstances. They stressed that more time, effort, and research should be expended in understanding how we can help individuals strengthen their capacity to adapt.
This book places emphasis on teaching people how they learn to strengthen their psychological core just as physical trainers stress core exercises for strengthening the body. One’s psychological core is comprised of values, principles, and social consciousness. Just as our physical core gives strength to how we perform physical exercise or athletic performance, our psychological core gives strength to how we perform in life.
The chapters that follow empower people to create a world in which they are in charge by defining themselves from the inside out rather than the outside in. It creates a foundation that cannot be destroyed regardless of the circumstances of their life.
