CITE: Rank, O. Beyond Psychology. New York: Dover Publications. 1945
SUMMARY
In this book, Otto Rank offers a philosophical exploration of the human condition, drawing on his background in psychology and psychoanalysis to explore topics such as death, spirituality, and the meaning of life.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Rank argues that creativity and imagination are central to human experience, and that they allow individuals to transcend the limitations of objective reality.
- He suggests that the artistic process is a means of accessing the unconscious and tapping into the creative power of the psyche.
- Rank argues that the fear of death is a fundamental aspect of the human experience, and that acceptance of mortality is necessary for true psychological and spiritual growth.
- He also explores the idea of the “daimonic,” a concept he uses to describe the forces that shape human destiny and drive our creative impulses.
- Rank’s ideas about the importance of creativity and imagination, the meaning of life and the role of the individual in the cosmos have been influential in existential and humanistic psychology.
SELECTED QUOTES
- “Death is a biological fact, but it is not a psychological necessity.” (p. 12)
- “The creative imagination is the greatest power in the universe.” (p. 17)
- “To accept life is to accept death; to be afraid of life is to be afraid of death.” (p. 35)
- “The creative process involves a tension between the subjective and the objective, the individual and the collective, the conscious and the unconscious.” (p. 52)
- “The artist creates a new reality, one that transcends the limitations of objective reality and expresses the deepest truths of the human psyche.” (p. 79)
- “The daimonic is that unconscious force within the individual that compels him toward the fulfillment of his destiny.” (p. 101)
