Solitude, Creation (Literary, artistic, etc, Adjustment (Psychology), Interpersonal relations 

At a time when psychological well-being is increasingly measured by the success of our relationships with others, Britain's premier psychiatrist offers this welcome reminder that true health and happiness is ultimately based upon an individual's ability to live in peace with oneself. Editorial Reviews From Publishers Weekly Storr's celebration of creative solitude is a counterbalance to the chorus of self-help books extollng interpersonal relationships. This British psychotherapist links the capacity to be alone with self-discovery and becoming aware of one's deepest needs and feelings. Taking Goya, Kafka, Trollope, Kant and others as examples, he shows that solitude, far from being a flight from interpersonal contact, is an inveterate need, at least in some people. He analyzes extroverts who become depressives by losing themselves in the outer world and argues that fantasy is not inherently escapist, as Freud contended. The Jungian process of "individuation," he demonstrates, sheds light on the mature artistic forays of Beethoven, Brahms and Henry James. People need a sense of participating in a larger community than either family or friends can provide, and Storr's message is that the solitary's search for wholeness is a valid avenue to relatedness. Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library Journal British psychotherapist Storr takes issue with the predominate view in the West that intimate relationships are the exclusive source and measure of mental health and personal satisfaction. In this far-reaching work, he considers the impact of voluntary as well as enforced solitude, particularly on creative persons such as composers, writers, and philosophers. Their efforts take place chiefly in solitude, and Storr argues that solitude has restorative value for the ordinary individual as well. His intriguing analyses of figures such as Kafka, Kipling, Beatrix Potter, Beethoven, Newton, and Wittgenstein offer compelling evidence that individuals may achieve happiness and stability through their work, even when their interpersonal relationships are inferior. A book of substance; highly recommended. Cynthia Widmer, Williamstown, Mass. Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.