A guide to breaking free from the enduring, and sometimes damaging, behavioural patterns learnt in childhood.
A guide to breaking free from the enduring, and sometimes damaging, behavioural patterns learnt in childhood.
When trying to deal with our current troubles and anxieties, it can be deeply irritating to be asked to consider our childhoods. They happened so long ago; we can probably barely remember, let alone relate to, the little person we once were. But one of the most powerful explanations for why we may, as adults, be struggling, is that we were denied the opportunity to fully be ourselves in our earliest years. Perhaps we were over-disciplined and cowed, not allowed to be wilful or difficult - and so learnt to tell white lies and people-please. Or perhaps our caregivers were preoccupied or fragile and so we had to assume the role of parent, burying our true needs and desires deep underground.
When we thoroughly examine our upbringings, the larger implications for our adult selves are clear to see. Once we understand the roots from which our flaws stem, we can set about correcting the harmful behaviours we mistakenly believe to be innate. This book is a guide to better understanding our younger selves in order to shape who we wish to be in the future. It explores to what extent we can pin our actions in the present to our experiences in the past, and how we might then break free from the learnt patterns of our childhoods.
“What readers are saying "A concise, eye opening and important book on how our childhood experiences effect who we are today. After reading this short book, I feel I have gained a lot by being aware of these very significant and important learnings and teachings." "This book is a coherent and concise primer on being a human who was once small and has since grown. Overcoming your childhood doesn't mean it had to have been particularly difficult, but certainly we are all uncovering the ways in which our upbringing affected us." "My upbringing wasn't traumatic by any definition, but this book did help me understand my parents a lot better, and it also pointed out the things I'll need to be aware of myself as a parent. Hugely insightful. Quick and easy to read."”
What readers are saying
"A concise, eye opening and important book on how our childhood experiences effect who we are today. After reading this short book, I feel I have gained a lot by being aware of these very significant and important learnings and teachings."
"This book is a coherent and concise primer on being a human who was once small and has since grown. Overcoming your childhood doesn't mean it had to have been particularly difficult, but certainly we are all uncovering the ways in which our upbringing affected us."
"My upbringing wasn't traumatic by any definition, but this book did help me understand my parents a lot better, and it also pointed out the things I'll need to be aware of myself as a parent. Hugely insightful. Quick and easy to read."
The School of Life is devoted to developing emotional intelligence. It addresses issues such as how to find fulfilling work, how to master the art of relationships, how to understand one's past, how to achieve calm, and how better to understand and - where necessary - change the world. These ideas are delivered through a range of channels: from videos, books, and products - to classes, events, and one-to-one therapy sessions.
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.
When trying to deal with our current troubles and anxieties, it can be deeply irritating to be asked to consider our childhoods. They happened so long ago; we can probably barely remember, let alone relate to, the little person we once were. But one of the most powerful explanations for why we may, as adults, be struggling, is that we were denied the opportunity to fully be ourselves in our earliest years. Perhaps we were over-disciplined and cowed, not allowed to be wilful or difficult - and so learnt to tell white lies and people-please. Or perhaps our caregivers were preoccupied or fragile and so we had to assume the role of parent, burying our true needs and desires deep underground.When we thoroughly examine our upbringings, the larger implications for our adult selves are clear to see. Once we understand the roots from which our flaws stem, we can set about correcting the harmful behaviours we mistakenly believe to be innate. This book is a guide to better understanding our younger selves in order to shape who we wish to be in the future. It explores to what extent we can pin our actions in the present to our experiences in the past, and how we might then break free from the learnt patterns of our childhoods.
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