Review: The Denial of Death

Author: Ernest Becker

The prose in this book is hard to read and the writing seems at times flowery and ambiguous, like a blindfolded person trying to describe a statue he can only touch.

I sense that this book suited the zeitgeist of the 1970’s milieu, as they did all they could to reject Freud, for contemporary ideas. Some of the ideas expressed now seem dated. Much of what he wrote about Mental Illness would be considered heretical by some in my professional milieu (especially those who worship at the altar of scientific positivism). I suspect he might be onto something regarding art and symbology. They might be just as useful as tools in explaining mental illness, as brain chemistry and synaptic connections.

I was troubled by Becker characterisation of schizophrenia, as though you could lump all people with this diagnosis into one box. I have worked with people with a diagnosis of schizophrenia almost my entire working life. My own conclusion is that Schizophrenia is as real as Peter Pan. The combination of potential symptoms seems limitless and has become so broad it is almost meaningless. I truly believe that if you took a view of anyone at a certain period of their life, as they responded to the despair of life, you could come up with a compelling argument for a diagnosis for schizophrenia.

I found myself agreeing with the juxtaposition of contemporary psychotherapy and religion. I have long believed they are just an intellectual base for living. Both have righteous proponents (zealots – just as science does). What is built on the foundation is what is important. Have you built a life that you are satisfied with? (I can answer yes).

I am a believer in serendipity, and this book came into my life at just the right time. Becker has made an important contribution to my intellectual self – I will reflect on this work many times in the years to come. It has given me a new lens through which to view life and living.