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the knowledge you need to actually cope with the almost inevitable
stream of pitfalls in life, carrying out your day by day plans for
achieving your ideals, and living your values and dreams to the fullest.
I urge you to seriously start self-helping yourself to cope now. You
don't need to be a good student or to know much about psychology
(you only need to be able to understand what you read); you don't
need to have problems because you can always work on self-
improvement and prevention of problems; you don't need to be in
good psychological shape because self-help is for all kinds of personal
and interpersonal difficulties. Why am I urging this on you? My goals
reflect my values of helping others, using knowledge honestly and
wisely to make this a better world, and encouraging each person to
take responsibility for his or her own life.
Every creator painfully experiences the chasm between his/her inner vision and
its ultimate expression.
-Isaac Bashevis Singer
Summary
Psychology has accumulated a lot of useful knowledge--how to
improve behavior, handle emotions, acquire skills, change attitudes,
gain insight, and much more. So, why shouldn't these methods and
ideas be taught to everyone? Eminent psychologists have
recommended this for many years (Miller, 1969; Guerney, 1969). Of
course, we can't prevent all problems; some rain must fall in every
life; we all suffer the occasional pain of failure or self-criticism or
rejection or loss. But we could suffer less. Furthermore, we all could be
better--more caring and giving, and less angry or greedy, more
reasonable and calm, and less tense and impulsive, more capable and
aware, less timid and repressed, etc. Since we all have problems and
we all have room for improvement and much to contribute to others, a
good society would surely help us all live the best life we can. And,
since we are more responsible for our own lives than anyone else,
often having to cope with problems alone, everyone needs to be an
expert self-helper. It makes sense. It can probably be done, but not
quickly and easily. I hope this book makes a small contribution to that
distant goal.
