Books like On Becoming a Person: A Therapist's View of Psychotherapy

01

Man's Search for Meaning

Viktor E. Frankl · Psychology

Man's Search for Meaning is Viktor Frankl's account of his years as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps, including Auschwitz, and the psychological theory he developed from that experience.

A kindred psychology read.

02

The Body Keeps the Score

Bessel van der Kolk · Psychology

The Body Keeps the Score is Bessel van der Kolk's account of four decades spent studying and treating trauma, from Vietnam veterans at the VA in the 1970s to survivors of childhood abuse, accidents, and domestic violence.

A kindred psychology read.

03

Emotional Intelligence

Daniel Goleman · Psychology

Daniel Goleman's Emotional Intelligence, published in 1995, made a widely influential argument: that the cluster of abilities involved in managing emotions — self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, and social skill — predicts life outcomes at least as well as IQ, and possibly better in many domains.

Both dig into empathy.

04

The Happiness Hypothesis

Jonathan Haidt · Psychology

Jonathan Haidt is a social psychologist at NYU who spent the early part of his career studying morality and happiness, and this book — published in 2006, before his work on political psychology brought him wider attention — synthesizes ancient philosophical wisdom with modern psychological research.

A kindred psychology read.

05

Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being

Martin E. P. Seligman · Psychology

Martin Seligman founded the positive psychology movement and published Authentic Happiness in 2002.

A kindred psychology read.

06

The Leadership Gap

Lolly Daskal · Business

The Leadership Gap argues that the same qualities that make leaders effective also carry within them a shadow that can undermine performance.

Shares personal growth and authenticity with On Becoming a Person: A Therapist's View of Psychotherapy.

07

Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion

Paul Bloom · Psychology

Paul Bloom's argument is not that we should care less about others.

Both dig into empathy.

08

Just Babies: The Origins of Good and Evil

Paul Bloom · Psychology

Paul Bloom's central question is how much morality is innate versus learned.

Both dig into empathy.

09

Presence

Amy Cuddy · Psychology

Presence is Amy Cuddy's case that the key to performing well in high-stakes situations is not to fake confidence but to access genuine self-belief — and that the body, surprisingly, is a reliable on-ramp to that state.

Both dig into authenticity.

10

Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships

Daniel Goleman · Psychology

Daniel Goleman's follow-up to Emotional Intelligence shifts focus from the inner world to the social.

Both dig into empathy.

11

Social: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect

Matthew D. Lieberman · Psychology

Matthew Lieberman is one of the founders of social neuroscience, the field that uses brain imaging and neuroscience methods to study social behavior.

Both dig into empathy.

12

The Fear Factor: How One Emotion Connects Altruists, Psychopaths, and Everyone In-Between

Abigail Marsh · Psychology

Abigail Marsh is a Georgetown neuroscientist who studies why some people are extraordinarily altruistic and others are not.

Both dig into empathy.