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Doubt: A Psychological Exploration PDF

178 Pages·2022·12.343 MB·English
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“This is one of the most brilliant books I have ever come across. Its aim is to address the question of what is doubt, not directly in any circumscribed defnitional standard, but by examining the powerful role it has had (and continues to have) in human life. To do so, Geof Beattie takes the reader on a narrative journey into the minds of some of the greatest writers and scientists of history in order to cast light on how their doubts shaped their creative and scientifc accomplishments. He also looks at how doubt is harnessed maliciously to spread conspiracy theories about such things as climate change. Written in his usual accessible narrative style – let us not forget that Beattie is also an accomplished novelist as well as a distinguished psychologist – this book will be hard to put down. Its implications for grasping who we are as a species – we are the only species that possesses doubt – and for harnessing or counteracting its enormous power of control over human life, make it a must read for everyone.” Marcel Danesi, PhD, FRCS, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Canada “Beattie brilliantly illustrates the science of doubt with fascinating case studies from doubters like Kafka, to non-doubters like Picasso and how it can be addressed therapeutically, as in Brendan Ingle’s boxing gym in Shefeld.” Brian Butterworth, Professor Emeritus of Cognitive Neuropsychology, University College London, UK “Geof Beattie has written a brilliantly entertaining book about the little considered phenomenon of doubt, focusing mainly but not exclusively on self- doubt. Part memoir, part an examination of the psychology of doubt, and part an examination of the role of doubt (or lack of it) in the lives of key historical fgures – Jung, Kafka, Picasso, Ernest Dichter (a psychoanalyst who devoted his talents to promoting the consumption of cigarettes) and Alan Turing – the book ofers a wide-ranging and unique appreciation of the importance of doubt in individual minds and in human afairs.” Richard Bentall, PhD, FBA, Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Shefeld, UK Doubt Blending the latest academic research with case studies of famous fgures, this highly insightful book presents ‘doubt’ as a central concept for psychology. It is a concept which has been oddly neglected in the past, despite its ubiquitous nature and far-reaching infuence. Exploring everything from self-doubt and impostor syndrome to the weaponisation of doubt with respect to climate change and the marketing of cigarettes, bestselling author Geofrey Beattie navigates readers through the various ways doubt can start and develop, changing the individual in the process. Written in Beattie’s distinctive and engaging style, Doubt takes the reader into the lives of transformational thinkers, artists, scientists and writers to explore how and why doubt was crucial in their lives and how the likes of Kafka, Jung, Picasso and Turing succumbed to doubt or learned to control it. Beattie argues that doubt is central to the self; it can be either a safeguarding mechanism or a distraction, rational or irrational, systematic or random, healthy or pathological, productive or non-productive. The book helps readers to recognise how doubt may have been operating in their own lives and to identify how and when it has been used against us – for example, to prevent climate action – and at what personal and societal cost. Presenting a compelling case for why doubt cannot be ignored, this book is of major interest to academics from a wide range of disciplines, including social and cognitive psychology, clinical and counselling psychology, sport psychology, sociology, business studies, politics, art and literature, as well as the general public, who may well see something of themselves in its pages. Geofrey Beattie is a prize-winning academic, author and broadcaster. He received his PhD from Trinity College Cambridge and is now Professor of Psychology at Edge Hill University, as well as Fellow of the British Psychological Society, the Royal Society of Medicine and the Royal Society of Arts. Doubt A Psychological Exploration Geofrey Beattie Designed cover image: Getty Images First published 2023 by Routledge 4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2023 Geofrey Beattie The right of Geofrey Beattie to be identifed as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identifcation and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Beattie, Geofrey, author. Title: Doubt : a psychological exploration / Geofrey Beattie. Description: 1 Edition. | New York, NY : Routledge, 2023. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifers: LCCN 2022026173 (print) | LCCN 2022026174 (ebook) | ISBN 9781032252056 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781032252049 (paperback) | ISBN 9781003282051 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Belief and doubt. | Self-confdence. Classifcation: LCC BF773 .B423 2023 (print) | LCC BF773 (ebook) | DDC 153.4—dc23/eng/20220825 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022026173 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022026174 ISBN: 978-1-032-25205-6 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-032-25204-9 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-003-28205-1 (ebk) DOI: 10.4324/9781003282051 Typeset in Bembo by Apex CoVantage, LLC For Joshua and Olivia Beattie and a future full of hope and promise, and less doubt. Contents Acknowledgements x 1 Introduction: the nature and meaning of doubt 1 2 Alone in doubt 17 3 Jung’s dream 29 4 Feeling like a fraud 40 5 ‘I, the King’ 57 6 The perils of a doubt-free life 75 7 Treating doubt the hard way 86 8 Manufacturing doubt 106 9 Our house is on fre 136 10 Concluding remarks 149 References 154 Index 160

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Most books are stored in the elastic cloud where traffic is expensive. For this reason, we have a limit on daily download.