Man's Search for Himself [Paperback]

Rollo May (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 1973

"Analyzes life as we are living it, and the analysis is truthful and profound."--New York Times

Loneliness, boredom, emptiness: These are the complaints that Rollo May encountered over and over from his patients. In response, he probes the hidden layers of personality to reveal the core of man's integration--a basic and inborn sense of value. Man's Search for Himself is an illuminating view of our predicament in an age of overwhelming anxieties and gives guidance on how to choose, judge, and act during such times.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“May faces problems with courage, honesty, and responsibility...a brilliant psychologist.” (Chicago Tribune )

“Dr. May's book is in the best sense popular. Touched with humor and imagination, infused with culture, it is a book which any person not too frightened and not too complacent should find a storehouse of helpfulness.” (New York Herald Tribune ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Rollo May (1909-1994) was an influential existential psychologist and the author of Love and Will, The Courage to Create, and The Discovery of Being.
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Delta (July 15, 1973)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385286171
• ISBN-13: 978-0385286176
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #877,646 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Rollo May (1909-1994) was an influential existential psychologist and the author of Love and Will, The Courage to Create, and The Discovery of Being.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Why don't we think like this?, May 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Man's Search for Himself (Paperback)

I'm not an intellect, I'm just a curious college student who takes a slight interest in psychology. I randomly picked this book up out of curiosity. Boy was I suprised at the content in this book. It has opened my eyes up to so many new levels of thinking. It is well organized in that it breaks up the problems that we face in society on a personal basis. It covers dealing with ourselves and how we interact in a society. I would not consider this a self help book but more of a "let's think about what we're doing here" type book. A MUST READ for anyone who is not a mindless robot of society.

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and powerful, July 20, 2001

By 

Justin Lee (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Man's Search for Himself (Paperback)

Rollo May takes us on a quest in search for our true selves and gives us advice in how to live more meaningful lives. He uses parables and and analogies from Greek classics, biblical stories, and philosophical writings to help make his point. This isn't a "Ten Steps to Live a Better Life" type of book. It is a book that thoroughly and powerfully makes us look within ourselves for meaning.

That this book is dated shouldn't make it any less relevant. Lots of books that are read and appreciated today are timeless because they tap into some truth that is the essence of existence in any age. A hundred years from now, will the ideals qualities of humanity be much different from those of "freedom, responsibility, courage, love, and inner integrity"? Are these not the qualities and principals all people live by in any age in time? For sure, there are elements in there that are dated, but the feeling of emptiness always plagues society. It is perhaps a human consider for every society to feel "emptier" than the one that preceded it.

This is a book that I would recommend anyone who has gotten too used to living, and is taking it for granted. For life is precious, and a shame to waste. Rollo May's method of synthesizing literature, history, legend, psychology and philosophy makes this book accessible, relevant, and important.

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Existential Philosophy, Psychology, & Literature, October 6, 2005

By 

D. S. Heersink "D. Stephen Heersink" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Man's Search for Himself (Paperback)

Boredom and anxiety are the two hallmarks of human existence that differentiates Homo sapiens from all other animals. The fact that humans have a past, present, and future consciousness makes them alert to many other possibilities of the imagination. Enter Rollo May and his existential psychology, which is a blend of existentialist philosophy, psychology, and literature. Together, they make us aware of what it is to be truly human.

This is not a self-help book, although no reader will go away disappointed. This is a book about integration of our deepest needs, coupled with our unique human biology, that makes us unique among all of earth's habitants. It is a focused look at what we must do to live life optimally by stripping away many of our attachments. These attachments often become security blankets that in turn become a source of alienation from fundamental choices we all must make. Once discarded, and opting for freedom and responsibility, we can live our own autonomous lives.

There are few prescriptions per se. Rather, this is an examination of a life lived well. In May's paradigm, the challenge is to force our inner being to a higher awareness of self-consciousness. He shows us how. I read this book 20 years ago, and reread it recently. It is still fresh and invigorating. It's easy to read, and really quite insightful. If you're unacquainted with May, this is a good place to begin. A delight to read