Page xiifailed to provide man with the self-knowledge he needs. So I will simply say that such is my conviction—and that
my reasons, as well as the nature of my differences with current schools of psychology, will become clear as we
proceed.
If the science of psychology is to achieve an accurate portrait of man, it must, I submit, question and challenge
many of the deepest premises prevalent in the field today—must break away from the anti-biological, anti-
intellectual, automaton view of human nature that dominates contemporary theory. Neither the view of man as an
instinct-manipulated puppet (psychoanalysis), nor the view of him as a stimulus-response machine (behaviorism),
bears any resemblance to man the biological entity whom it is the task of psychology to study: the organism
uniquely characterized by the power of conceptual thought, propositional speech, explicit reasoning and self-
awareness.
The central theme of this book is the role of self-esteem in man's life: the need of self-esteem, the nature of that
need, the conditions of its fulfillment, the consequences of its frustration—and the impact of a man's self-esteem (or
lack of it) on his values, responses, and goals.
Virtually all psychologists recognize that man experiences a need of self-esteem. But what they have not identified
is the nature of self-esteem, the reasons why man needs it, and the conditions he must satisfy if he is to achieve it.
Virtually all psychologists recognize, if only vaguely, that there is some relationship between the degree of a man's
self-esteem and the degree of his mental health. But they have not identified the nature of that relationship, nor the
causes of it. Virtually all psychologists recognize, if only dimly, that there is some relationship between the nature
and degree of a man's self-esteem and his motivation, i.e., his behavior in the spheres of work, love, and human
relationships. But they have not explained why, nor identified the principles involved. Such are the issues with
which this book deals.
More precisely, such are the issues dealt with in Part Two of this book. Part One is concerned with the
psychological foundations of my theory of self-esteem—with the view of man on which it rests. This entails an
examination of the nature of living organisms, with special reference to the concept of biological and psychological
needs; the nature of man's mind, as contrasted with the consciousness of lower animals; the issue of psychological
freedom and