OVERCOMING FEAR OF SUCCESS

by Martha Friedman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 10, 1980

There may be such a thing as fear of success, but Martha Friedman (Psychiatry, New York Medical College) doesn't succeed in demonstrating that it's unrelated to fear of failure; too many of the cases cited imply failure as the flip side. For example, as the classic Oedipus triangle is formulated (and Friedman is, by and large, a Freudian), the child fears success in attaining the parent of the opposite sex because of the second parent's prospective anger: ""winning thus means losing."" What, consequently, is the child's fear: one of success in loving parent number one, or one of failure in dealing with parent number two? Still, Friedman has a background in family therapy, and she does have some points to make: in the ""family Olympics,"" sibling competition may pave the way for fear of success in later life (because of guilt about outdoing brother or sister, for example); or negative criticism may weigh so heavily that we feel undeserving of success. Friedman creditably avoids definitions of success based on money or position; she is more concerned with the internals of ""getting to do what you really want to do in your work life and in your love life, doing it very well, and feeling good about yourself doing it."" For those who are concerned with self-sabotaging behavior, then, a look at some of the sources of their quandary--fear of being exposed as a fraud, or of having to ""pay"" for anything good that happens--and a possible attitude changer.

Pub Date: Nov. 10, 1980

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Seaview--dist. by Harper & Row

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1980

Categories: NONFICTION