1st Edition

The Psychology of Courage An Adlerian Handbook for Healthy Social Living

By Julia Yang, Alan Milliren Copyright 2010
    294 Pages 18 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    294 Pages 18 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Courage refers to the willingness for risk taking and to move ahead in the presence of difficulties. The purpose of this book is to present courage as the main foundation of understanding and training for mental health in the three life task areas described by Adler: Work, Love, and Friendship.  It explores the meaning of each life task and problems of fear, compensation, or evasion, as well as Adlerian insight on socially useful attitudes of approaching the task under discussion.  Socratic dialog boxes are included throughout each chapter to encourage the interactivity between the text and readers’ thought processes.  Also included is a set of twenty-two helping tools that were creatively designed for self-exercise or to be used to help others uncover or acquire courage.  For those in the helping professions, this text will be a unique and valuable handbook for not only working with and helping their clients, but also for their own personal development.

    Carlson, Foreword. Part I: Foundation. What is Courage? Gemeinschaftsgefuhl. Tasks of Life. Part II: The Courage of Social Living. The Courage to Work. The Courage to Love. The Courage for Friendship and Family. The Courage to Belong. The Courage to Be. The Courage of Spiritual Well-being. Part III: Implications. The Art of Facilitating Courage. 22 Tools to Facilitate Courage. Epilogue.

    Biography

    Yang, Julia; Milliren, Alan

    This unique manual will meet readers where they are and take them to a deeper level of understanding of Individual Psychology (IP) and themselves. Those new to IP will come away with a solid understanding of Adler’s theory, [and] seasoned Adlerians will gain a new perspective.  Persons interested in IP regularly ask me for reading recommendations. This encouraging book is going to be top on my list.  Rebecca LaFountain, EdD, Licensed Psychologist, Executive Director of the North American Society of Adlerian Psychology; Assistant Professor of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University

    As conceptualized by Alfred Adler, the construct known as courage is far more complex than how the term is typically understood in common parlance, and consequently, [it] is often misunderstood, misused, or simply ignored in the literature.  Thankfully, [the authors] have provided us with a thorough, yet accessible, text for understanding and applying this foundational tenet of Adlerian theory and therapy. Richard E. Watts, PhD, Professor of Counseling, Sam Houston State University