The Insanity of Normality
Book by Arno Gruen
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The Insanity of Normality: Toward Understanding Human Destructiveness is a book about the root causes of cruelty and violence written by psychoanalyst Arno Gruen.
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| Author | Arno Gruen |
|---|---|
| Original title | Der Wahnsinn der Normalität – Realismus als Krankheit. Eine grundlegende Theorie zur menschlichen Destruktivität |
| Language | German |
Publication date | 1987 |
It is Gruen's answer to Freud about human destructiveness. According to Freud, human beings are born with an innate tendency to destruction and violence; in The Insanity of Normality, Gruen challenges that assumption, arguing instead that at the root of evil lies self-hatred, a rage originating in a self-betrayal that begins in childhood, when autonomy is surrendered in exchange for the "love" of those who wield power over us.
Edition details
- German editions: Der Wahnsinn der Normalität – Realismus als Krankheit. Eine grundlegende Theorie zur menschlichen Destruktivität; Kösel-Verlag, München 1987, ISBN 3-466-34178-7, 9th edition 7/1999, München, ISBN 3-423-35002-4
- English editions: The Insanity of Normality: Understanding Human Destructiveness, ISBN 978-0-9669908-4-3, trade paperback, most recent English edition: March 2007, Human Development Books, Berkeley, CA, first English edition: 1992)
- Czech edition: Šílenství normality. Realismus jako choroba: Teorie o lidské destruktivitě, Lumír Nahodil, Praha, 2001, ISBN 80-902970-0-5 (translated from the 9th German edition)
- Hungarian edition: A normalitás tébolya – A realizmus mint betegség: elmélet az emberi destruktivitásról, Balázs István, Magyar Könyvklub, 2003, ISBN 9635478631 (translated from the 9th German edition)
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