Description
Book SynopsisErnest Becker (1924-1974) was an astute observer of society and human behavior during America's turbulent 1960s and 1970s. Although Ernest Becker's life and career were cut short, his major writings have remained continually in print and have captured the interest of subsequent generations of readers. This title collects Becker's early work.
Trade Review"The Ernest Becker Reader is a superb compilation of Becker's writing from 1960-1974, the duration of Becker's turbulently inspired academic career. The introduction by Becker scholar Daniel Liechty is excellent. Here we find carefully chosen and edited selections that provide an overview of the broad sweep of Becker's surpassing mind and achievement."
* AHP Perspective *
Table of ContentsPreface
Introduction
Part One: A Psychological View of Mental Health (1960-1963)
1. Anthropology, Psychoanalysis, and Mental Illness
--Socialization, Command of Performance, and Mental Illness (1962)
--Anthropological Notes on the Concept of Aggression (1962)
--Psychotherapeutic Observation on the Zen Discipline (1960)
--Private Versus Public Logic (1961)
--Toward a Comprehensive Theory of Depression (1962)
--Toward a Theory of Schizophrenia (1962)
2. The Enduring Value in Freud
--A Note on Freud's Primal Horde Theory (1961)
--The Significance of Freudian Psychology (1963)
--The Validity of 'Oedipus Complex' as an Abstract Scientific Construct (1964)
3. Personality, Communication, and Education for Democracy
--Personality Development in the Modern World (1963)
--Social Science and Psychiatry (1963)
Part Two: Toward an Integrated Social Science of Behavior (1964-1971)
4. Alienation
--The Great Historical Convergence on the Problem of Alienation (1964)
--A Theory of Alienation as a Philosophy of Education (1967)
5. Plea for Social Scientific Synthesis
--A Design for Ethical Man (1968)
--The Ethical Society (1968)
--The Vision of the Science of Man (1968)
--The Enlightenment Paradox (1968)
--The Second Great Step in Human Evolution (1968)
6. The End of Optimism
--The Perspective of the Present Time (1971)
--The Road Back to the Science of Man (1971)
Part Three: Denial of Death as Interpretive Organizing Principle (1971-1975)
7. Meaning and Self-Esteem
--Self-Esteem (1971)
--Culture and Personality (1971)
--Social Encounters (1971)
--Biological Imperialism (1972)
--Toward the Merger of Animal and Human Studies (1974)
8. Death and Denial
--The Terror of Death (1973)
--Human Character as a Vital Lie (1973)
--The Nature of Social Evil (1975-posthumous)
9. Beyond Psychology
--A Conversation with Ernest Becker (1974)
--The Spectrum of Loneliness (1974)
Bibliography
--Ernest Becker's Writings
--Important Secondary Works
Subject Index
Name Index
