The Curse of the Self : Self-Awareness, Egotism, and the Quality of Human Life

Human beings have the ability to be self reflective, or to think consciously about themselves, which allows them, among other things, to imagine themselves in the future, anticipate the consequences of their behavior, plan ahead, and take steps to improve themselves. Despite these obvious advantages, self reflection comes at a high price. Most people occasionally realize that it causes problems, such as when they cannot stop dwelling on some past failure or future worry, when their ego fuels conflicts with other people, or when their mental chatter keeps them awake at night. Yet few people realize neither how profoundly their lives are affected by their self reflection, nor how frequently this inner chatter interferes with their success, pollutes their relationships with others, and undermines their happiness. The mental apparatus that enables us to be self reflective is the same one responsible for most of the personal and social difficulties we face as individuals and as a species. The egocentric, egotistical self blinds people to their own shortcomings, undermines their relationships with others, and leads to social conflict. Self-reflection distorts peoples perceptions of the world, leading them to make bad decisions based on faulty information. By allowing people to ruminate about the past or imagine what might happen in the future, it also conjures up a great deal of personal suffering in the form of depression, anxiety, anger, jealousy, and other negative emotions. A great deal of unhappiness, in the form of addictions, overeating, and domestic violence, is due to peoples inability to exert control over their thoughts and behavior. This lack of control has led visionaries throughout history to proclaim that the egoic self stymies our quest for spiritual fulfillment and leads to immoral behavior. Is it possible to direct our self reflection in a way that will minimize the disadvantages and maximize the advantages? Is there a way to affect the egotistical self through self-reflection? In this volume Mark Leary explores the personal and social problems that are created by the capacity for self-reflection, and by drawing upon psychology and other behavioral sciences, offers insights into how these problems can be minimized.

Despite its obvious advantages, our ability to be self-reflective comes at a high price. Few people realize how profoundly their lives are affected by self-reflection or how frequently inner chatter interferes with their success, pollutes their relationships with others, and undermines their happiness. By allowing people to ruminate about the past or imagine what might happen in the future, self-reflection conjures up a great deal of personal suffering in the form of depression, anxiety, anger, jealousy, and other negative emotions. A great deal of unhappiness, in the form of addictions, overeating, and domestic violence, is due to people's inability to exert control over their thoughts and behavior. Is it possible to direct our self-reflection in a way that will minimize the disadvantages and maximize the advantages? Is there a way to affect the egotistical self through self-reflection? In this volume, Mark Leary explores the personal and social problems that are created by the capacity for self-reflection, and by drawing upon psychology and other behavioral sciences, offers insights into how these problems can be minimized.

Despite its obvious advantages, our ability to be self-reflective comes at a high price. Few people realise how profoundly their lives are affected by self-reflection or how frequently inner chatter interferes with their success, pollutes their relationships with others, and undermines their happiness. By allowing people to ruminate about the past or imagine what might happen in the future, self-reflection conjures up a great deal of personal suffering in the form of depression, anxiety, anger, jealousy, and other negative emotions. A great deal of unhappiness, in the form of addictions, overeating, and domestic violence, is due to people's inability to exert control over their thoughts and behaviour. Is it possible to direct our self-reflection in a way that will minimise the disadvantages and maximise the advantages? Is there a way to affect the egotistical self through self-reflection? In this volume, Mark Leary explores the personal and social problems that are created by the capacity for self-reflection, and by drawing upon psychology and other behavioral sciences, offers insights into how these problems can be minimised Is It Possible To Manage Our Self-reflection In A Way That Will Minimize The Disadvantages And Maximize The Advantages? Is There A Way To Control The Egoistic Self Through Self-reflection? In The Curse Of The Self, Mark Leary Explores The Personal And Social Problems That Are Created By Self-reflection, And, By Drawing Upon Psychology And Other Behavioral Sciences, Offers Insights Into How These Problems Can Be Minimized.--jacket. The Self-aware Animal -- Living In Two Worlds -- Through The Eyes Of The Ego -- Making Ourselves Miserable -- When Selves Collide -- Risking Life And Limb -- Religion And Morality -- The Self Out Of Control -- Bringing Out The Best In The Self. Mark R. Leary. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 199-219) And Index. Although the capacity for self-awareness is an essential aspect of human nature, self-reflection comes at a high price. Self-awareness and its accompanying egoism profoundly affect people's lives, interfering with their success, polluting their relationships with other people, and undermining their happiness. Drawing from work in psychology and other behavioral sciences, in The Curse of the Self, Mark Leary explores personal and social problems that are created by the human capacity for self-reflection and offers insights regarding how these problems may be minimized "Is it possible to manage our self-reflection in a way that will minimize the disadvantages and maximize the advantages? Is there a way to control the egoistic self through self-reflection? In The Curse of the Self, Mark Leary explores the personal and social problems that are created by self-reflection, and, by drawing upon psychology and other behavioral sciences, offers insights into how these problems can be minimized."--BOOK JACKET Human beings have the ability to think consciously about themselves, which allows them, among other things, to imagine themselves in the future, anticipate the consequences of their behaviour and plan ahead. This can sometimes cause problems and the author suggests ways to approach self-reflection in a positive manner When 24-year-old John Scopes decided to challenge Tennessee's new law prohibiting the teaching of evolution in public schools, he could not have anticipated that he would be cast into the national spotlight during the hot, dry summer of 1925.