This book review was written by Eugene Kernes
“Try as we may, it is difficult to
conceive of our universe in terms of concord; instead, we are faced everywhere
with the evidences of conflict. Love and
hate, production and consumption, creation and destruction – the constant war
of opposing tendencies would appear to be the dynamic heart of the world. Man runs the eager gamut of his life through
hazards of sickness and accident, beasts and bacteria, the malignant power of the
forces of nature, and the vengeful hands of his fellow men. Against these numberless forces of
destruction, the long thin line of defenses afforded by scientific intelligence
ceaselessly battles in an effort to thwart the destruction of mankind.” – Karl
Mennigner, Chapter One: Eros and Thanatos, Page 3
“This is what one would see who surveyed our planet
cursorily, and if he looked closer into the lives of individuals and
communities he would see still more to puzzle him; he would see bickering,
hatreds, and fighting, useless waste and petty destructiveness. He would see people sacrificing themselves to
injure others, and expending time, trouble, and energy in shortening that
pitifully small recess from oblivion which we call life. And most amazing of all, he would see some
who, as if lacking aught else to destroy, turn their weapons upon themselves.”
– Karl Menninger, Chapter One: Eros and Thanatos, Page 3
“To summarize, then, suicide, must be regarded as a peculiar
kind of death which entails three internal elements: the element of dying, the
element of killing, and the element of being killed. Each of these requires separate
analysis. Each is an act for which there
exists motives, unconscious and conscious.
The latter are usually evident enough; the unconscious motives are now
to be our chief consideration.” – Karl Menninger, Chapter Two: The Motives, Page
24
Is This An Overview?
Humankind is involved in conflict,
from which derives destructive behavior against others. But, there are times when the destructive
behavior is turned inward, toward the self.
People commit self-destructive behavior, such as suicide. While there are some forms of suicide that
are sudden, there are other forms that occur over time, chronic suicide. With chronic self-destructive behavior, death
can be postponed potentially indefinitely, at the cost of suffering. By understanding why people commit
self-destructive behavior, can help be brought toward self-preservation. Reasons for self-destructive behavior are not
simple. Various cultures have elements
that contain encouragement of self-destructive behavior.
Caveats?
This book covers a sensitive topic,
with a variety of examples. The purpose
of the book was to improve upon the understanding of why people commit
self-harmful behavior. Some ideas
covered can be an improvement, as simple explanations are still used. But, there are also explanations and methods which
have improved. With various societies
finding ways to help those with mental health needs.
