New Books in Psychoanalysis

Adam Phillips, "On Giving Up" (FSG, 2024)

Jul 1, 2024

Psychoanalyst Adam Phillips delves into the complexities of giving up, exploring its intersection with desire, control, and the concept of the true self. He challenges societal assumptions, discussing the importance of knowing when to persevere and when to let go. The conversation also touches on relationships, dependencies, and the quest for meaning in a world of endless choices.

41:50

Episode guests

Adam Phillips

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Quick takeaways

Giving up can be a transformative act aligned with personal growth.

Understanding the complexities of giving up challenges societal stigmas and promotes self-awareness.

Deep dives

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Belief in Change and Giving Up Self-Destructiveness

01:27

Reconfiguring Wants in a Consumer Culture

01:36

The Concept of True Self vs. Preferred Self

00:47

Intro

2min

Reflections on Writing, Thinking, and Eliciting Thought

2min

Exploring Giving Up and Desire in Consumer Capitalism

20min

Exploring the Concept of True Self

6min

Exploring Giving Up, Dependency, and Suicide

6min

Exploring Aliveness, Somatic Perspectives, and New Projects

3min

To give up or not to give up? The question can feel inescapable but the answer is never simple.

Giving up our supposed vices is one thing; giving up on life itself is quite another. One form of self-sacrifice feels positive, something to admire and aspire to, while the other is profoundly unsettling, if not actively undesirable.

There are always, it turns out, both good and bad sacrifices, but it is not always clear beforehand which is which. We give something up because we believe we can no longer go on as we are. In this sense, giving up is a critical moment--an attempt to make a different future.

In On Giving Up (FSG, 2024), the acclaimed psychoanalyst Adam Phillips illuminates both the gaps and the connections between the many ways of giving up and helps us to address the central question: What must we give up in order to feel more alive?

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New Books in Psychoanalysis

Adam Phillips, "On Giving Up" (FSG, 2024)

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

New Website Features for Listeners

Exploring Motivation in Writing the Book

Challenging Cultural Assumptions on Giving Up

Exploring Complexity of True Self and Relationships

Belief in Change and Giving Up Self-Destructiveness

Reconfiguring Wants in a Consumer Culture

The Concept of True Self vs. Preferred Self

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts