The Protean Self Human Resilience In An Age Of Fragmentation

by Lifton, Robert Jay

• ISBN13: 9780465064212
• ISBN10: 0465064213
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1995-01-04
• Publisher: Basic Books

Summary

"Proteanism"or the protean selfdescribes a psychological phenomenon integral to our times. We live in a world marked by breathtaking historical change and instantaneous global communication. Our lives seem utterly unpredictable: there are few absolutes. Rather than collapsing under these threats and pulls, Robert Jay Lifton tells us, the self turns out to be remarkably resilient. Like the Greek god Proteaus, who was able to change shape in response to crisis, we create new psychological combinations, immersing ourselves in fresh and surprising endeavors over our lifetimes.

Author Biography

Robert Jay Lifton is Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology at John Jay College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, and at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He is also director of the Center on Violence and Human Survival. Dr. Lifton is the author of many books, including The Nazi Doctors and Death in Life: Survivors of Hiroshima, which won the National Book Award.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. IX
The Changing Psychological Landscape	p. 1
History and the Self	p. 13
America, the Protean Nation	p. 32
Odd Combinations	p. 50
Sources of Flux and form	p. 74
Poise and Equipoise	p. 93
Enduring Connections	p. 120
Life Stories	p. 136
The Fundamentalist Self	p. 160
The Dark Side	p. 190
The Protean Path	p. 213
Notes	p. 233
Index	p. 256
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