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The Situation Is Hopeless, But Not Serious: The Pursuit of Unhappiness (Paperback)

by P Watzlawick (Author) "THIS pearl of wisdom derives from Polonius, the Lord Chamberlain in Hamlet ..." (more)

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Product details

Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Co.; New edition edition (18 Aug 1993)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0393310213
ISBN-13: 978-0393310214
Product Dimensions: 20.6 x 13.6 x 1 cm

Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 105,295 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
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#33 in Books > Humour > Self-Help & Psychology

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Product Description

This is a tongue-in-cheek look at the ways in which we turn ourselves into our own worst enemies. Using metaphors, vignettes, jokes, innuendoes and other "right-hemispheric" language games, Dr. Watzlawick shows how we can make everyday life miserable and inflate trivialities beyond recognition. Those who believe that the search for happiness eventually leads to happiness should consult the chapter "Beware of Arriving".

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THIS pearl of wisdom derives from Polonius, the Lord Chamberlain in Hamlet. Read the first page

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22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars KILL UNHAPPINESS WITH LAUGHTER AND SELF CRITICISM, 25 Nov 2002

By	Luciano Lupini (Caracas Venezuela) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

A wonderful, witty, exposé of our endeavors to live a more miserable life by Watzlawick, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at Stanford University. The treatment of the subject will surely make you laugh at yourself and thus, perhaps, contribute to make you a better person.
W. deals with the fundamental, painful, necessity of the human being to be unhappy (in order to be quiet). And in fact, he contends that the best chapters of universal literature dwell with disaster, tragedy, guilt, madness, etc.
Dante's Inferno-W. writes- is very superior to his Paradise; same case as Milton's Paradise Lost compared with his Paradise Regained; Faust I's greatness is proportionally inverse to the tediousness of Faust II. So the author embarks hilariously in a methodic introduction to the best and more verifiable mechanisms to achieve unhappiness. Samples:
Always be truthful to yourself. A principle, from Polonius in Hamlet,of the outmost necessity for us ( its application is what gets the guy killed by Hamlet like a rat). So then, we must resist any temptation to yield to any other criteria or opinion, apart from ours. Never compromise or accept someone else's advice. The author then addresses the issue of the old saying: "time cures all wounds"..... According to W. four sound mechanisms exist if you want to avoid time's healing effects and transform the past into a present source of suffering. In the exaltation of the past we find those that only remember the good things about their youth and not the years of insecurity and anxiety. In so doing, they have a consistent reserve of sadness about their miserable present...... Also, this fidelity to the past, impairs our ability to enjoy the present and fully dedicate our efforts to the endeavors of the moment. Another mechanism is to consistently dwell with the guilt complex that past errors create, finding excuses or scapegoats (our parents, God, chromosomes, teachers etc.) while doing nothing to avoid committing the same mistakes again.
The author drives his point with practical examples. For instance the story of the hammer. A man wants to hang a painting. He has the nail, but not the hammer. Therefore it occurs to him to go over to the neighbor and ask him to lend him his hammer. But at this point, doubt sets in. What if he doesn't want to lend me the hammer? Yesterday he barely spoke to me. Maybe he was in a hurry. Or, perhaps, he holds something against me. But why? I didn't do anything to him. If he would ask me to lend him something, I would, at once. How can he refuse to lend me his hammer? People like him make other people's life miserable. Worst, he thinks that I need him because he has a hammer. This is got to stop ! And suddenly the guy runs to the neighbor's door, rings, and before letting him say anything, he screams: "You can keep your hammer, you b......"
Watzlawick not only discussess techniques to create false problems, but also the ones that make it actually possible to avoid solving problems and conver them into eternal torments. Here we get the example of the man that claps his hands every ten seconds. Asked why he does that, he answers: "to drive away the elephants..." -"But why, there are no elephants here"- The guy says: "Precisely".
This is a very funny book. It deals, with a fresh and delightful approach, with many of our karmas and mind bothering mosquitoes......

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hopelessly Revealing..., 22 May 2006

By	G. W. Evans (North Wales, UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Delicious! Wonderfully smile-inducing, playful and profound. This is Watzlawick at his best, utilising the MRI's whole gambit of tactics and ploys to induce an inverse state in the reader away from miserable thinking (darn it, and rightfully so!).

Watzlawick peppers his witty text with all manner of story and analogy that illuminates and delights. If you like this then also try his 'Ultra-solutions' (not quite as good but fine all the same) or his 'The Invented Reality' that has some very interesting ideas on self-fulfilling prophecy and also the sobering and scary essay (especially if your either a mental health professional or service user) 'On being sane in insane places'.

A most fulsome read that seriously hopelessy fails to not en-wisen and transfix!

Enjoy

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant, 12 April 2008

By	eyeglass (UK) - See all my reviews

I read through the whole of this book in one sitting! I have read as lot of self help books and books on CBT, REBT etc. but this book is a great leveller - bringing you down to earth. It shows exactly how we behave to make ourselves unhappy and as a side effect shows how we can make ourselves feel better. I was in a wonderful state of mind after reading it. It is like suddenly realising the sense of things rather than the mind wirling with all the theories from the self help books. Makes things much clearer.

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5.0 out of 5 stars 5 crowns? Frightening or brilliant? If I were sure.....
Attracted to Watzlawick's work after recommended to read "Change" I decided to try some more. Read more

Published on 5 Mar 1999

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