1st Edition

Human Nature And Suffering

By Paul Gilbert Copyright 1989
424 Pages
by Psychology Press

424 Pages
by Psychology Press

This volume explores the implications of humans as evolved social animals. Gilbert suggests that evolution has given rise to a varied set of social competencies which form the basis of our personal knowledge and understanding. These competencies are classified as: a) Care eliciting b) Care giving c) Co?operating and d) Competing. Each of these are seen as core schemata, or archetypal potentials... Read more
Acknowledgments. Introduction and Overview. A Legacy from the Past: The Role of Human Nature. The Mapping of Human Nature. The Psychobiology of some Basic Mechanisms. The Psychobiology of Peripheral Systems. Care Eliciting and Attachment Strategies. Care Eliciting and Theories of Psychopathology. Care Giving and Nurturance. Disorders of Care Giving. Co?Operation. Co?Operation: Some Blocks and Pathologies. Competition: Status, Power and Dominance. Some Psychopathologies of Power and Dominance. Beyond the Power of Reason. Personal Reflections. Appendices.

Biography

Paul Gilbert

'This book is outstanding for the wide ranging and deeply penetrating psychological research and theory...' - Dr John Price, Open University

'By any standards this is a major piece of work... as a clinical psychologist... I am impressed and excited by this book, and have rarely read a book that has left such an impression on me.' - Dr Peter Trower, University of Leicester

'Dr Gilbert orients us to things both that we know and that we need yet to learn, improves our rationale for a variety of our procedures, and directs and gives purpose not only to our direct clinical work but to our reading and our collection of new information. Reading this book will acquaint one with an exciting "meaning-making" experience.' - Professor Russell Gardner Jr, University of Texas

'Any book which attempts to bring together the ideas of Jung, ethology, sociobiology, psychobiology, and cognitive approaches, while still retaining considerable respect for psychoanalysis (and its recent offshoots), learning theory, and existentialism is bound to leave many readers gasping for breath ... Gilbert's approach is highly compatible with the conception of evolution as a process whereby specific mechanisms evolve in order to solve specific problems ... Gilbert has written a wide-ranging and thoughtful book ... ... professionals from a variety of orientations will find it a provocative and informative book.' - Contemporary Psychology, 1990, Vol. 35, No. 11 reviewed by Kevin MacDonald.