Winning Life's Toughest Battles: Roots of Human Resilience

by Julius Segal

Dramatic case histories illustrate how five elements--communication, control, conviction, a clear conscience, and compassion--can help one to survive life's crises

157 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1986

Reviews

[Jacklyn]

We aren't lost, just in need of direction.
Dr. Segal defines these directions into the following chapter topics:
Communication. Taking Control. Finding a purpose. Shedding guilt. Showing compassion.

Each Chapter is filled with significant examples of people struck with tragedy, whether it be hostage captivity or death of a child, and they survived and often thrived after.

A quick read, it lays the groundwork for directions to take in order to avoid the victim mentality and to live a life of substance after tragedy strikes.

I disagreed with one of the points that the author seems to feel very strongly about- taking care of oneself in the chapter on Compassion. Written in the late 80s, the author voices strong opposition to the trending narcissistic patterns society was undertaking and argued that putting oneself first was of no good use; being "thy brothers keeper" was a better use of energy. I wonder how he feels in today's age, where self improvement and healthy living is very much the norm, and tends to be thought of as a way to heal and then give back to helping others (you can't pour from and put on your own oxygen mask first). I tend to agree with the latter, I'm of no use to others if I haven't taken care of myself.