Going Sane

Another thought provoking look at ourselves from the master of thinking differently.It's as though Adam Phillips starts from the position of "what else could this mean?" And explores from that standpoint.His writing style invites you in, enslaves and confounds with equal measure - sometimes he seems too clever for ordinary intellects but then there are the joys or realisation in his thinking.Sometimes, you have to read things twice, it's not lightweight, but it's worth it.My favourite book of Adam's is " Monogamy" - a book of thought of provoking aphorisms - Going Sane might have been better still presented that way, but a good read if you happen to be sane, essential insights for the slightly bonkers and may be useful to those beyond the pale.

Absolutely brilliant. Adam Phillips is a writer/thinker of exceptional insights.

Love this book, so much truth in it. Would recommend to anyone.

i like very much the point of view of mr adam philips.his gaiz is very penetrating and gives you another dimention of human nature

In Going Sane, Adam Phillips skilfully marshals a wide cast from literature and the literature of psychology in order to examine the many headed and currently vague notion of sanity.How is the term used? Why is the term used? Does sanity encompass madness or exclude it?Opening with a sceptical voice, he considers ideas such as the misuse of the word by The Party in Orwell's 1984 and Laing's consideration of madness as a rational response to circumstances.Further on, we're challenged to regard the difficulties of an idea of sane sex and the programmed madness of adolescence.As the book progresses, Phillips asserts his own voice more strongly, finishing with his idea of a sane life; perhaps how a life might be sane, but at least in how the thing might be recognised.Even while arguing forcefully and eloquently, Phillips still manages to avoid being over prescriptive; his voice is too secular for that. In any case, he insists (in the introduction) that his ideas are there as a challenge.If you're up for such a challenge and especially if you're interested in where psychology meets philosophy, then this book is for you.

This was my first exposure to Adam Phillips. It took me a while to get into this book and then suddenly it gripped me and didn't let go till I'd finished. Phillips is a brilliant writer and must be a brilliant man. Since reading this I have tried to find as much of his stuff as I can and every time I finish one of his books I go looking for another - he's that good. Not that he is interested in being 'good' as much as he is interested in being kind, dignified, perceptive, honest and thorough. This is a body of work that replaces anti-Freudianisms with a re-positioning of Freudian thinking at the centre of our everyday lives and pre-occupations. Above all Phillips is determined to expose our humiliations and repair them with a language and a way of thinking about ourselves that preserves or perhaps resurrects our dignity as something worth protecting and nurturing. A thought provoking, gentle, passionate and ultimately inspiring book for anyone feeling weary.

I found this a breath of fresh air in the world of mental health writing, and a particularly good antidote to the current tendency to parade our mental and emotional problems like a new handbag: the latest must-have lifestyle accessory. As someone who's been prone to depression for many years, I plead guilty to having romanticized it in the past (though not usually while I was in it) and I think Adam Phillips makes a convincing case that "going sane" is ultimately much more rewarding than "going mad" and MUCH better than "staying mad", which is what a lot of forces (including, sad to say, the psy-professions) encourage us to do. Comparing him with another contemporary psychoanalytic writer, Darian Leader, I find Phillips warmer and more grounded in reality, though still a bit abstruse for some; Leader I find a bit schematic and dogmatic, not very nuanced. Ultimately, Phillips leaves me with the hope that sanity can mean living creatively, not in dull conformity, and that you don't need to have problems to have an interesting life.

I am afraid I am going to have to agree with the negative reviewers here. I had difficulty seeing anything coherently persuasive in the book, largely because it lacked any substantive evidences and seemed highly subjective. Even the opinions were not clearly illustrated or supported, so I constantly found the thread of the text to be counter-intuitive if not indeed often relying on presumptions.My eyebrows were especially raised when the author moved into the topic of autism and schizophrenia, since I am not at all convinced that these are either (a) not to a significant extent biological/physiological or (b) responsive to psychoanalysis. The truth which seems to be emerging through more objective, scientific evidence, including genetics, is that insanity (and subsequently sanity) is not something which can be defined in these terms, much like we would not suggest someone 'think through' their diabetes, even if the cause is environmental (ie. not just genetic) for example. I accept that the book did not intend to address these issues, but I think a book on the topic should at least discuss the concepts briefly, if it is to try to reach a valid overall definition which is not entirely open to question.I do value psychoanalytical methods, where they are shown to be appropriate, and I did have interesting and thought-provoking moments, especially in the chapter on money.Overall, the conclusion that sanity equates to balance could have been put forward in a much shorter article. Even for a slim volume, I felt the book was padded out.

What an intoxicating marvel! Poetry mix with psychology and language here, to explore the world of madness and sanity. Phillips argues that there are more definitions for madness in our culture than there are for sanity. We both love and are terrified of those 'eccentrics' in our midst, fearing that we are heading down the same slope, while also somewhat jealous of their freedom. He begins with a dive into literature, with Hamlet a central figure. This is followed by a look at our relationship to our sanity from a range of views. Sane sex, greed. He ends with an attempt at a definition for sanity.Critics have assailed him for his lacklustre exploration of the literature. I personally found his insights and the poetry of his language... well, as I said, intoxicating. He does, on occasion write in a very dense style, where his love for spinning language seems to outweigh his desire to communicate the idea. (Was his editor intimidated by this man's ability?) But overall the book is a must for anyone interested in exploring the human psyche and most definitely, writers.

While meandering at times (for the purpose of imitating how the mind naturally flows, I think), this book is a fascinating meditation on why it is so hard to define sanity, and how we might relate principles of sanity to sex, money, and to the life well lived. Good food for thought.

Very disorganized book with an ending which is irrelevant.

This had to be the most inane book that I have read in years. The whole point of this unfortunate expenditure of money seems to be that sane people can't get any respect. The entire book is a repetitive tirade over the word sanity, and over sanity itself being given short shrift while the word insanity and the insane get all of the glory (attention).If you seek a book on sanity and its fragility which matters, read anything by Kay Redfield Jamison (starting with An Unquiet Mind).There is little more to this book than about one "letter to the editor" worth of thesis. All the rest of this airy, repetitive, double spaced clap trap is just filling. I must assume the one good review above as of the time of my writing, was submitted by someone related to the author for there can be little else to speak in favor of it than personal affinity for it's creator.As my major in college was in fact psychology, I think it fair to say I have read a few books on the subject. This book, far from being scolarly feels like a very long and tiresome homework assignment handed in by someone who had nothing to say but was up against a deadline.I donate old books to the Salvation Army but I can't give this to them in good conscience knowing someone else might actually read it.Terrible!