The Curse of the Self

In the past week I've completed a book entitled The Curse of the Self by psychologist Mark Leary.

The book is a challenging insight into why we have ego identity and whether being 'self-aware' is actually good for us. It questions the wisdom of the self-esteem movement, particularly querying whether we need self-esteem, and pointing out many of the issues we face in our lives as a result of possessing it.

All in all, a very challenging book. It is written for a lay audience (psychologically speaking), yet I still found it heavily academic. The subject matter can be tough to wade through at times, and superbly written and incredibly interesting at other times.

I really enjoyed the book overall and learned a lot. Most of what it teaches is philosophical in nature, although there are four very practically oriented keys at the end that describe how we can quiet our 'self' to lead a more balanced and objective life.