Christophe André is a psychiatrist and the author of best-selling works that have made psychology accessible to a wide audience: L’Estime de soi ; Imparfaits, libres et heureux ; Les États d’âme ; Psychologie de la peur… Rebecca Shankland is a psychologist and one of the foremost French specialists in positive psychology. She is associate professor at the University of Grenoble, and conducts research at the Laboratoire Interuniversitaire de Psychologie, and is vice president of the French and Francophone Association of Positive Psychology.
Research in psychology continues to make progress in the understanding of what contributes to our inner sense of security. After demonstrating the immense benefits of good self-esteem, Christophe André and Rebecca Shankland explain how we are also dependent on others to live better.
In the past, in ancient societies depending on others was necessary for survival. Then, the need for that connection was gradually replaced by values of autonomy and individualism which were embraced by society. What new data do we have concerning the importance of being connected to others?
What was once a necessity has today become a conscious choice. The aim of this book is to show, using scientific studies and examples, how interdependence, relational and social proximity, interacting with others, shapes us, what it provides us, and why cultivating constructive relationships is indispensable to our equilibrium, but also why it benefits our societies given the crises they encounter and will continue to encounter. From the first attachment that creates a child, to social relationships, to that of couples, this is a voyage to the heart of what makes us profoundly human.