Anthony Storr – författare

Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) revolutionized the way in which we think about ourselves. From its beginnings as a theory of neurosis, Freud developed psycho-analysis into a general psychology which became widely accepted as the predominant mode of discussing personality and interpersonal relationships. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

‘Extremely engaging… A book full of good moments and humane insights.’Alan Ryan, ObserverThis book collects the essays of one of England’s best-known and most distinguished psychiatrists. Its theme is creativity. What internal dynamic forces artists, scientists and politicians to devote so much time and energy to creative invention? Anthony Storr weighs and tests Freud’s theory that creativity is the result of dissatisfaction by examining the impulses which drove such figures as Churchill, Kafka and Newton.Whether he is exploring the ‘divine discontent’ that motivates creativity, analysing Jung’s mid-life crisis, assessing the psychology of jealousy in Othello or denouncing the abuses of psychiatry, Storr brings wisdom, erudition and compassion to all his subjects in this highly readable and human collection, which is accessible to those who know nothing about psychoanalysis as well as to those who know a great deal.

There are many reports of strange cults which enthral their followers and cut themselves off from the world. Invariably led by gurus, or "spiritual leaders", the fruit of these cults are mass suicides in the South American jungle or the self-immolation of hundreds in besieged fortresses. This study provides an examination of these men and women and of those who follow them. It takes as example some of those considered to be modern gurus - James Jones, David Koresh, the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, Gurdjieff and others - and establishes what each of them has in common. It then examines what they share with other gurus whose teachings are accepted or at least respected - Jung, Freud, Ignatius Loyola, Jesus himself - and finds some startling continuities.

'Brings excellent news for those who, whatever their reasons for doing so, live alone … Heartening' Anita Brookner, Spectator 'Storr is an incapable of writing an uninteresting paragraph' Sunday Times' How can we find value in spending time alone? Many of the history’s geniuses were, by nature or circumstance, often solitary. Beethoven, Beatrix Potter, Henry James, Wittgenstein, Kipling. In this book, acclaimed psychiatrist Dr Anthony Storr explores the psychological value of spending time alone. How can we reconnect with what matters to us outside of our social relationships? How can we find an emotional difference between being alone and being lonely?Insightful and inspiring, this is a book that can help us feel more comfortable spending time alone, and show how to use solitude to focus on our interests, values and creative energies beyond the social sphere.

Why does music have such a powerful effect on our minds and bodies? It is the most mysterious and most tangible of all forms of art. Yet, Anthony Storr believes, music today is a deeply significant experience for a greater number of people than ever before. In this book, he explores why this should be so. Drawing on a wide variety of opinions, Storr argues t hat the patterns of music make sense of our inner experience, giving both structure and coherence to our feelings and emotions. It is because music possesses this capacity to restore our sense of personal wholeness in a culture which requires us to separate rational thought from feelings that many people find it so life-enhancing that it justifies existence. The author also wrote "Churchill's Black Dog".

‘Every page is clear and interesting, taking one closer to understanding why Jung’s thought was so profound. Examples, models and case histories are provided.’EconomistCarl Gustav Jung (1875-1961) left behind him a vast collection of valuable and original contributions to psychology; but because at first sight some of his ideas appear obscure, Jung has never been widely appreciated. His emphasis upon the spiritual aspects of human nature provides an important contrast with Freud’s insistence upon the physical. This very clear exposition of Jung’s ‘analytical psychology’ will convince a wide audience that Jung’s ideas are not only comprehensible, but also have an especial relevance to the times we live in.

First published in 1972, this fully revised edition was originally published in 1991 and provides a classic study of humanity’s capacity for evil.The human species is capable of the most appalling cruelty. Why is this and where does our capacity for such destructiveness come from? In Human Destructiveness, Anthony Storr explores these important questions.In seeking to shed light on such brutal phenomena as genocide, racial conflict and other large-scale manifestations of violence, he cautions against easy extrapolations from individual behaviour to the behaviour of groups and nations, though he offers illuminating discussions of aggressive personality disorders, sadomasochism and the mechanisms of paranoid delusion. Most provocatively, he locates the propensity for mass outbreaks of cruelty in the imagination: ‘to be able to see fellow human beings as wholly evil requires an imaginative capacity not found in other species.’Combining wide scholarship, humane intelligence and a graceful style, Human Destructiveness provides an illuminating study of some of the darkest corners of the human psyche.

Originally published in 1972, this fully revised edition was published in 1991 and provides a classic study of humanity’s capacity for evil.The human species is capable of the most appalling cruelty. Why is this and where does our capacity for such destructiveness come from? In Human Destructiveness, Anthony Storr explores these important questions.In seeking to shed light on such brutal phenomena as genocide, racial conflict and other large-scale manifestations of violence, he cautions against easy extrapolations from individual behaviour to the behaviour of groups and nations, though he offers illuminating discussions of aggressive personality disorders, sadomasochism and the mechanisms of paranoid delusion. Most provocatively, he locates the propensity for mass outbreaks of cruelty in the imagination: ‘to be able to see fellow human beings as wholly evil requires an imaginative capacity not found in other species.’Combining wide scholarship, humane intelligence and a graceful style, Human Destructiveness provides an illuminating study of some of the darkest corners of the human psyche.

Storr’s The Art of Psychotherapy first appeared in 1979 and became an instant classic. After Storr’s death, a third edition was rewritten and revised by Jeremy Holmes, and this fourth edition is a further up-to-date iteration.Storr (1920–2001) and Holmes, both medical psychoanalytic psychotherapists, are ‘elders’ in the world of psychotherapy. Their eclectic, experienced and cultured voices offer students and psychotherapy practitioners clinical wisdom hard to find elsewhere. Their book expounds in a very practical way the issues entailed in setting up and maintaining a psychotherapeutic relationship and practice: how to introduce oneself, arrange one’s consulting room, establish a contract, when and how to make ‘interpretations'. The second half of the book deals with more general and often problematic issues, including how to align therapy in the light of diagnosis, working with ‘difficult’ patients, therapy termination, and the life course of a therapist, ending with a valedictory overview. In this fourth edition, Holmes has added a chapter on the scientific validation of psychotherapy, sections on tele- and e-therapy, non-binary gender and sexual identities and the impact of race and class on the therapeutic relationship.This engaging, accessible and profound book is essential reading for psychotherapists, counsellors, psychiatrists and mental health practitioners in training or practice.

Storr’s The Art of Psychotherapy first appeared in 1979 and became an instant classic. After Storr’s death, a third edition was rewritten and revised by Jeremy Holmes, and this fourth edition is a further up-to-date iteration.Storr (1920–2001) and Holmes, both medical psychoanalytic psychotherapists, are ‘elders’ in the world of psychotherapy. Their eclectic, experienced and cultured voices offer students and psychotherapy practitioners clinical wisdom hard to find elsewhere. Their book expounds in a very practical way the issues entailed in setting up and maintaining a psychotherapeutic relationship and practice: how to introduce oneself, arrange one’s consulting room, establish a contract, when and how to make ‘interpretations'. The second half of the book deals with more general and often problematic issues, including how to align therapy in the light of diagnosis, working with ‘difficult’ patients, therapy termination, and the life course of a therapist, ending with a valedictory overview. In this fourth edition, Holmes has added a chapter on the scientific validation of psychotherapy, sections on tele- and e-therapy, non-binary gender and sexual identities and the impact of race and class on the therapeutic relationship.This engaging, accessible and profound book is essential reading for psychotherapists, counsellors, psychiatrists and mental health practitioners in training or practice.