9/6/22

Nathaniel Branden was once a close disciple of Ayn Rand--although he was purged from the ranks of her inner circle. You can certainly see her influence in this book--it's very self centered--and I don't mean to denigrate it by calling that. Branden's "The Psychology of Self-Esteem simply argues for the importance of self-esteem in a healthy psychology--and I'd agree with that. How revolutionary it is--as claimed on the cover of that book--I can't really judge. I do know that his theories fall into what's known as "cognitive psychology" which believes what ideas you hold are of crucial importance to the psyche. cognitive psychology. Aaron T. Beck is noted as the father of cognitive therapy in the Wiki--and his 1987 book, Cognitive Therapy of Depression, came out decades after Branden's The Psychology of Self-Esteem, which was first published in 1969.

That book contained the chapter "Self-Esteem and Romantic Love." This book expands on the subject. As it says on the cover, the purpose of the book is to consider: What love is, why love is born, why it sometimes grows, why it sometimes dies. I found this book when I was barely out of my teens, and I found it very appealing that it even tried to deal with such questions, let alone attempted answers. Just about everything I'd read or heard before this book by shrugging their shoulders and basically saying love is what it is--which frustrated me no end. I loved his chapter on the "Muttnik Principle"--that the core of romantic love (and close friendship) is the need to be visible. To be seen and understood for who we are. I found this a thought-provoking and valuable book. Even if I take off a star because decades later, I understand a little better why so many would shrug and throw up their hands trying to understand romantic love. ( )