Exploring the Life of the Soul: Philosophical Reflections on Psychoanalysis and Self Psychology

by John Hanwell Riker

In this book, John Hanwell Riker develops and expands the conceptual framework of self psychology in order to offer contemporary readers a naturalistic ground for adopting an ethical way of being in the world. Riker stresses the need to find a balance between mature narcissism and ethics, to address and understand differences among people, and to reconceive social justice as based on the development of individual self. This book is recommend for readers interested in psychology and philosophy, and for those who wonder what it means to be human in the modern age.

Genres: Psychoanalysis, Philosophy

201 pages, Paperback

Published September 15, 2018

Reviews

[Jenny Frank-Doggett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riker gives an excellent account of "self" development and how self psychology can restore soul fragmentation and loss.

Required reading for psychologists, psychotherapists, analysts, and other healers trying to help modern people recover their sense of self and zest for life - probably also philosophers, but I am a psychotherapist. A rich historical account including Western philosophy, psychology, sociology, history, religion, and politics, Riker explains why so many people in current society have lost their zest for life, and also how to get it back. The best parts are autobiographical stories illuminating his and Kohut's ideas. I would love to see this reworked as an autobiography - a sort of guide through Riker's personal life story that would be accessible and valuable to lay people with soul fragmentation (like Jung's MDR).