Non-Sense of Self

Reviews the books, The Sense of Self: A Guide to How We Mature by Lorene A. Stringer (1971) and Self and Role: A Theory of Self-Process and Role Behavior by John E. Horrocks; Dorothy W. Jackson (see record 1973-02470-000). The book by Stringer is a personalized translation of some fundamental ideas concerning self theory, with particular emphasis on the developmental approach of Harry Stack Sullivan. On the basis of personal observation, the author proposes that capacity for pleasure is an indispensable component of mental health. The book by Horrocks and Jackson is a genuine theoretical work. The authors' objective is to place self theory within a broader cognitive framework, including the concepts of attitudes, values, roles, and role behaviors, and within a physiological framework, including body boundaries and basic drives, such as organization, completion, motility, and equilibrium. Both books suggest strongly that the renaissance of the study of the self concept must be accompanied by a crusade for humility among social scientists. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)