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The author of this book has no need to prove that he is capable of composing a work that is worth reading. So far as this reviewer is concerned, he is one of the most astute clinicians in psychiatry and psychoanalysis. Dr. Theodore Rubin deals here with what one of his colleagues calls “the core of all human emotional problems.” It is important for us to recognize and acknowledge that the essence of his book has its origin in Horney's seminal works. Rubin has taken some of those seeds, planted them, and nourished them to full bloom. He enables the neophyte to feel an appreciation for Horney's insight. His capacity for translating part of Horney theory into something vibrant and capable of even further growth is a measure of his own contribution. This book begins to do for Horney what Hartmann's work did for Freud.
The title immediately puts the reader in touch with the only antidote available against self-hate, a concept well understood by those acquainted with Horney's exposition of the idealized image. Rubin does a masterful job of alerting us to various manifestations of self-hate in operation. We become very much aware of its role in generating all kinds of discomfort, from anxiety to psychic pain and panic. With every turn of the page we feel more what is meant by the force, the drive, implied in the term psychodynamics. Rubin is truly skillful at helping us to see what we thought we already knew and understood. We cannot do other than admire this talent.
The author really reaches the heart of the matter when he discusses his “compassionate psychophilosophy.” This alone protects the individual against “the destructive culture.” The kernel of compassion is genuine self-affirmation. Interestingly, Rubin employs many terms which have a religious ring, but he does not subscribe to any theocratic paradigm. Those who pride themselves on being primariy religious in orientation will be upset by some of his realistic comments. His brief paragraph entitled “The Great Rehea