A Course in Happiness: Mastering the 3 Levels of Self-Understanding That Lead to True and Lasting Contentment

by Mardi J. Horowitz

"Wise counsel from one of America's most respected psychiatrists." -Irvin Yalom, author of Staring at the Sun and When Nietzsche Wept , Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, Stanford University


For many, getting in touch with that elusive thing called "happiness" is rarely simple—and achieving any kind of lasting happiness can feel like an insur­mountable challenge. Perhaps what we need is an education on the subject . . . A Course in Happiness . In this book, Mardi Horowitz draws on more than forty years of experience as a practicing psychiatrist to provide readers with just this.

According to Dr. Horowitz, happiness is essentially a by-product of self-knowledge; in order to be happy, we need to understand who we truly are. In A Course in Happiness , he details a deeply rewarding course in mastering the three levels of self-understanding that underlie

Integration : the ability to assemble all the pieces of one's self into a whole, complete, understood, and respected "me."

Intimacy : the capacity to remain closely connected to the warmth of relationships with family, friends, colleagues, and others in a social community.

Integrity : the insight to know which of one's values are most dear and which are lower in priority—and then to be true to what is the most important, even in the midst of conflict.

A Course in Happiness offers a road map for achieving genuine and lasting contentment.

Genres: Psychology

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Nicole Jolliffe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book.

The examples that are provided are highly relatable, and the exercises are tools that are provided are easy to comprehend and practice.

This book provided me with great insight into my own behaviours, along with simple tools to continue to work on my personal and emotional growth.

Definitely a must read.

[Bridgett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book provided a lot of useful information, especially about interpersonal relationships and how to view reality realistically and make the best of your situation. I need to apply a lot of the lessons I've heard in this book and elsewhere.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A better title would have been "A Course in Contentment," but then isn't contentment a more common version of what we call happiness.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has some of the most practical information on improving life satisfaction that I have seen.

The concepts are simple, but change is hard work. Filled with great exercises.