From Publishers Weekly
LeShan, a clinical psychologist and author of Cancer as a Turning Point , argues that wars are an aspect of human behavior. War--widespread, easy to start, difficult to control--he maintains, fulfills psychological needs and eases tensions by creating an alternate reality structure, a binary vision of good versus evil. Like a mythic event, war makes the lives of individual participants more intense and more meaningful, at the same time creating the sense of a collective engaged in a noble enterprise. LeShan's explanations of war's appeal are more convincing than his ideas for calling on psychology and other social sciences to make us less susceptible to warmongering. Educational reforms to foster self-acceptance and government reforms to encourage peace-seeking appear fragile barriers against the powerful forces LeShan describes.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
From Library Journal
The author of 11 books on psychology, including the recent Cancer as a Turning Point ( LJ 4/15/89), Shan turns here to the question of war. He centers his explanation on the psychological phenomenon of shifting from one conception of reality to others, and especially to "mythic reality." Once this shift has been made, the checks and balances of sensory reality are discarded and humans begin to see reality as a clash of good and evil that allows for no shadings or subtlety. LeShan argues that such thinking is used to justify initiating war and committing atrocities--acts that are unthinkable in other circumstances. By glorifying past wars and preparing for future wars, society reinforces this mindset. War is even welcomed, for it allows individuals to project inner hatreds, displace aggression, find a transcendental purpose in life, and achieve a sense of belonging in a group. LeShan suggests that to address the question of war, we must recognize the temptation of mythic thinking, educate individuals to find fulfillment outside the satisfactions of war, and restructure governments to seek peace with as much vigor as they prepare for armed conflict. Written in an accessible style with solid scholarship, this slender volume is recommended for public and academic libraries.
- Richard B. Finnegan, Stonehill Coll., North Easton, Mass.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
- Richard B. Finnegan, Stonehill Coll., North Easton, Mass.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --Ce texte fait référence à une édition épuisée ou non disponible de ce titre.
