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A book about human behavior that is relatively free of psychiatric jargon and abstruse, esoteric terms, yet does not oversimplify the subject, is most welcome. This book, meant for the interested layman, does this and gives a good foundation for further exploration and study of human behavior.
The first of the three sections of the book deals with interpersonal factors, especially as they influence the growing child. In this the author leans heavily on the concepts of Sullivan, describing how the significant people in the child's environment influence personality. The second section deals more with specific personality disturbances, such as stress and anxiety, dependency and escape devices. The third section, which deals with therapy, is the best part of the book in its candor, openness, and emphasis on human values.
Current literature abounds in criticisms of the Freudian approach, and the author devotes a readable summary to these Freudian shortcomings. Like most of these critiques it falls far short of the excellent, detailed critique of Freudian theory contained in New Ways in Psychoanalysis written in 1939 by Karen Horney.
The author is successful in her attempt to synthesize the various post-Freudian contributions, borrowing heavily from Sullivan, Horney, and others, and has managed to evolve an intelligible, unified system which leaves room for consideration of structures without neglecting function and process. It is gratifying to see how much of Horney's contribution is being incorporated into the present literature. Those