Who Am I?: Psychological exercises to develop self-understanding,Cover may vary - Hardcover

The School Of Life

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1912891085 ISBN 13: 9781912891085

Publisher: The School of Life Press, 2019

Synopsis

A guided journal with psychological exercises to develop self-understanding.

Over 100 Thought-Provoking Prompts for Deep Self-Reflection
A structured workbook rooted in psychology, designed to help you explore your emotions, memories and identity — one honest answer at a time.

Therapeutic Tools from The School of Life
Developed by experts in emotional intelligence, this book draws on therapeutic principles to support greater self-awareness, compassion and personal growth.

Beautifully Designed, Gift-Worthy Format
With its hardback cover and elegant layout, Who Am I? is as visually thoughtful as it is intellectually rich.

A Gentle Companion Through Life’s Big Questions
Encourages curiosity, vulnerability and healing by guiding readers through topics like childhood, love, work, guilt, and inner voices — at their own pace.

Customer Review: ‘LOVE the ‘who am I?’ Self help book, it poses really interesting insights and prompts that help me understand myself on a deeper level’

About this title

About the Author

The School of Life is a global organisation helping people lead more fulfilled lives. Through our range of books, gifts and stationery we aim to prompt more thoughtful natures and help everyone to find fulfilment. The School of Life is a resource for exploring self-knowledge, relationships, work, socialising, finding calm and enjoying culture through content, community and conversation. You can find us online, in stores and in welcoming spaces around the world offering classes, events and one-to-one therapy sessions. The School of Life is a rapidly growing global brand, with over 7 million YouTube subscribers, 389,000 Facebook followers, 239,000 Instagram followers and 163,000 Twitter followers. The School of Life Press brings together the thinking and ideas of the School of Life creative team under the direction of series editor, Alain de Botton. Their books share a coherent, curated message that speaks with one voice: calm, reassuring, and sane.

From the Back Cover

A guided journal for self-knowledge with which we can study the most elusive and interesting parts of our complex inner selves.

One of the most difficult tasks we face as humans is figuring out who we are. "Describe yourself" can be a surprisingly difficult task. Sometimes, we need prompts and suggestions to engage and energize us.

With unusual, entertaining, and playful exercises, this journal is designed to help us tease out and organize who we are. With beautiful designs by Marcia Mihotich throughout and mini essays on topics like relationships and work, this book shows us how our complicated, beautiful, and sometimes painful experiences all contribute to the richness of who we are.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

3. Avoidant and anxious attachment

Psychologists like to divide us into ‘avoidant’ and ‘anxious’ kinds of lovers. An avoidant pattern of relating to lovers means that, when there is difficulty, we grow cold and distant, and deny our need for anyone. We desperately want to be reassured but feel so anxious that we may be unwanted, we disguise our need behind a façade of indifference. At the precise moment when we want to be close, we say we’re busy, we pretend our thoughts are elsewhere, we get sarcastic and dry; we imply that a need for reassurance would be the last thing on our minds. We might even have an affair, the ultimate face-saving attempt to be distant – and often a perverse attempt to assert that we don’t require a partner’s love (that we have been too reserved to ask for).

For its part, anxious attachment is a pattern of relating to lovers whereby, when there is difficulty, we grow officious, procedural and controlling over small matters of domestic routine. We feel our partners are escaping us emotionally, but rather than admitting our sense of loss, we respond by trying to pin them down administratively. We get unduly cross that they are eight minutes late, we chastise them heavily for not having done certain chores, we ask them strictly if they’ve completed a task they had agreed vaguely to undertake. All this rather than admit the truth: ‘I’m worried that I don’t matter to you…’.

Are you more anxious or more avoidant in your attachment style?

Describe a recent episode of either type of attachment playing itself out.

How do you think you acquired yours?

Edition details

• Publisher: The School of Life Press
• Publication date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1912891085
• ISBN 13: 9781912891085
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 160