Protean Self: Human Resilience in an Age of Fragmentation

A deep dive into "Proteanism"or the protean self--a psychological phenomenon integral to our times.

We live in a world marked by breathtaking historical change and instantaneous global communication. Our lives seem utterly unpredictable: there are few absolutes.

Rather than collapsing under these threats and pulls, Robert Jay Lifton tells us, the self turns out to be remarkably resilient. Like the Greek god Proteaus, who was able to change shape in response to crisis, we create new psychological combinations, immersing ourselves in fresh and surprising endeavors over our lifetimes.

Author: Robert Jay Lifton
Publisher: Basic Books
Published: 01/19/1995
Pages: 272
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 9.16h x 6.02w x 0.69d
ISBN: 9780465064212

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 12/12/1994

About the Author
Robert Jay Lifton is Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology at John Jay College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, and at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He is also director of the Center on Violence and Human Survival. Dr. Lifton is the author of many books, including The Nazi Doctors and Death in Life: Survivors of Hiroshima, which won the National Book Award.