«Middle age crisis — a topic that cannot but be of interest, — the existential psychologist Svetlana Krivtsova is sure. — Many of us at the age of 30-45 begin a difficult period of discord with life and ourselves. Paradox: at the peak of vitality, we find ourselves at a point where we don’t want to live as before, but in a new way it doesn’t work out yet or there is no clarity about this new life. What I want and who I really am are the main questions of the crisis. Someone doubts whether it is worth continuing the work that is being obtained. Why? Because «it’s not mine.» We used to be inspired by challenging tasks, but now we suddenly realize that we should not do everything we can. And that the biggest challenge is to find your own path and your own size. And this needs to be decided.
Elena Sapogova, Doctor of Psychology, writes that the process of growing up is associated with suffering, with the bitterness of the loss of illusions, it requires courage. Maybe that’s why today there are so many of those who have grown up, but have not matured? These times do not require us to become adults, only to gently lead a reflective and responsible life. Today, without any sanctions from society, you can not work, not be responsible for anyone, not invest yourself in anything at all, and at the same time be well arranged in life.
What is the value of personal maturity? And how to come to that very adulthood that will allow you to live meaningfully? The book approaches these topics gradually. First, simple but interesting information about growing up and the criteria for maturity for the reader, who, perhaps, never thought that the changes taking place in his soul have a scientific definition. At the end — refined and refined «delicacies» for gourmets of self-reflection. Wise reflections of Merab Mamardashvili and Alexander Pyatigorsky about what true self-care is. And a motley bouquet of real client stories. The territory of adulthood is addressed to a wide range of readers. And for specialists, I can recommend a voluminous monograph by the same author, Existential Psychology of Adulthood (Sense, 2013).”
Svetlana Krivtsova, director of the International Institute for Existential Counseling and Training (MIEKT), psychoanalyst, author of books, one of them — «How to find harmony with yourself and the world» (Genesis, 2004).
Genesis, 320 p., 434 rubles.