Promises, Oaths, and Vows: On the Psychology of Promising

Description

Expert psychoanalytic clinician and educator Herbert J. Schlesinger presents Promises, Oaths, and Vows: On the Psychology of Promising, a thoughtful psychological study of a crucial lynchpin to modern civil society - that most people will do what they say they will do, and live up to their explicit or implicit promises. What emotional and cognitive developments occur in a child to make him or her capable of making and keeping promises? What forces compel individuals to keep a promise made with "good" intentions when there is no longer any practical reason to do so? Garnering information from sources ranging from literature on moral development in children, to psychotherapy of a patient who made and regularly broke unnecessary promises, and offering special insight for analysis in selecting which "promising" patients are most likely to benefit from treatment, Promises, Oaths, and Vows is highly recommended as a welcome addition to the body of research scrutinizing how the human minds work. "Unmodified psychoanalysis is a fine tool for helping patients to deal with self-deception but it is poorly equipped to deal with persons who intend consciously to deceive others. One tends to take for granted honesty and essential morality in those who come to us for help."