The Right to Be Human (Hardcover)

by Edward Hoffman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Brandeis psychologist Maslow (1908-1970), a founder of humanistic psychology, was an uneasy hero of the 1960s counterculture. As spiritualistic fads swept the country, he scolded Esalen Institute instructors for their smugness and warned his followers that too much inwardness is not psychologically healthy. This apostle of self-actualization and creative "peak experiences" was an intensely private man who rarely discussed his own mystical highs. Hoffman, biographer of Wilhelm Reich, has interviewed Maslow's friends, family and students, and while he never fully pierces his subject's calm, scholarly demeanor, his thoughtful biography has its rewards. We meet Maslow the youthful sexologist of the 1930s (his findings were championed decades later by feminists); the socialist-leaning rebel who married his cousin and lived on a commune; the professor who actively disliked conformist students. The first full-scale biography of Maslow, this profile will be of interest to the many people touched by his humanistic vision of personal growth. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
$18.95. psych This is the first comprehensive biography of Maslow (1908-1970), a founder of the humanistic psychology movement. Skillfully revealing Maslow's attractive personality and enormous zeal, clinical psychologist Hoffman shows how the early career was distinguished by rigorous empirical researchspecifically in his studies in dominance and motivationand his later career by an admirable creative clarity regarding a comprehensive theory of human motivation and a metapsychology of higher needs and aspirations. Given Maslow's many distinguished friends and mentors, this captivating and sympathetic biography is a major intellectual history of four decades of American psychology. William Abrams, Portland State Univ. Lib., Ore.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Aquarian Press (March 30, 1989)
• ISBN-10: 1852740493
• ISBN-13: 978-1852740498
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,622,280 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Easily the greatest biography written this century!, July 5, 1999

By	Mike Selby (Cranbrook, British Columbia Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Right to Be Human: A Biography of Abraham Maslow (Paperback)

One of the greatest biographies written this century!! While Freud and his followers convinced the world that we all repressed our inherent wickedness and immorality, Maslow sought out the good in people--"the best of humanity". Dr. Hoffman has written one of the most accessible and fascinating biographies of the century. Shown here with warts and all, Hoffman delivers a full and rich account of one of Psychology's greatest thinkers. As brilliant as he was compassionate, Maslow radically changed both psychology and the corporate world. However, Kudos need to go to Hoffman, who skillfully and eloquently brought Maslow to the masses. Anyone interested in psychology, business, or simply the trials and triumphs of a fellow human being will take away more from this book than any other text available. Highly Recomended!!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Biography, August 19, 2000

By	Azlan Adnan (Kota Kinabalu) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Right to Be Human: A Biography of Abraham Maslow (Paperback)

Why have almost all of today's most celebrated marketing wizards made it their business to know about this man and examine his ideas? Why does virtually every serious management book recognize, document, and praise his insights? How do his life and his legacy continue to inspire and inform the visions of today's most alert and innovative entrepreneurs? Why is global interest now mounting in his multifaceted work?

Fascinating and visionary, Abraham Harold Maslow (1908-1970) pioneered revolutionary ideas that helped form modern psychology and laid the foundation of the human side of management and marketing. His lifetime of discoveries in motivation and personality transcended academic psychology, and extended into the major business fields of management and marketing. Maslow also loved to explore nascent, barely perceptible social trends and speculate boldly about their long-term consequences. He was the originator of such important concepts as the hierarchy of human needs, self-actualization, higher motivation, team decision-making and business synergy.

All business students-not just of management development and organizational behaviour-should read this seminal biography. Critically acclaimed in its first edition and now revised and updated for this paperback edition, The Right to Be Human is a fascinating portrait of one of the seminal thinkers of the twentieth century-at once a vivid biography of a truly original personality and an intellectual journey to the very source of how we think about and manage our businesses today.

Edward Hoffman, PhD, is a clinical psychologist in New York with degrees from Cornell University and the University of Michigan. He has authored several books including Future Visions: The Unpublished Papers of Abraham Maslow, The Drive for Self: Alfred Adler and the Founding of Individual Psychology and The Book of Fathers' Wisdom.