Letters to a Young Psychologist by Ignacio Solares
Are you thinking about studying psychology? Do you know someone who’s thinking about it? Would you like to delve into some of the historical events of this science and know how it has progressed? This work by Ignacio Solares collects historical data that you may find interesting. It was a book written for all those who like the subject but don’t have a clear idea of what it is.
Ignacio Solares wrote more than two hundred pages to answer his daughter’s questions. This is why the book has such an intimate tone, similar in style to other famous books like Sophie’s World. The book seeks to help her make a good career decision.
About the author
Ignacio Solares is a Mexican writer with more than 15 published works. He’s received several awards and a prize that bears his name for his dedication to historical narrative. We should note that he’s not an expert in the area of applied psychology, but he is an expert in philosophy, letters, and history. The information his works provide is supported by modest but very valuable bibliographies.
Before you start reading
Letters to a Young Psychologist & The Golden Coin: Freud or Jung? was published in Mexico City in 2003. The book is composed of twelve letters. Each one offers us a theoretical and historical overview that Ignacio Solares considers important for the ‘young psychologist’ to know.
The book is not the only one of its kind:
- Letters to a Young Novelist by Mario Vargas Llosa
- Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke
- Letters to a Young Mathematician by Ian Stewart
These books serve as an introduction to study areas that can be overwhelming at the beginning.
As we’ve said before, Ignacio Solares starts by listening to his daughter’s questions. Subsequently, he writes twelve letters where he tries to explain the goal of psychology and its evolution. They deal with topics such as psychoanalysis, the collective unconscious, the theory of synchronicity, behaviorism, and pragmatism, among many others. All of these topics play an important role in the foundations of this science. Solares writes with a fluid narrative that’s easy to understand.
Who’d enjoy reading Ignacio Solares?
Can you imagine being able to read part of the conversations that some of the great psychologists had? Ignacio Solares included several fragments of letters from different authors in his book. For example, he included correspondence between Jung and Freud, Freud and Charcot, and others. Also, he included fragments of some of their notes. However, the goal of this book isn’t to cover all of psychology.
Nevertheless, his work can be useful to many people who are interested in learning a little about the subject, as well as those who aren’t sure whether psychology is for them. This book can spark the career of a great psychologist.
I think that avid readers enjoy imagining and seeing things in other perspectives. What better way of doing this than reading about the subject that you enjoy or are interested in the most? In this case, psychology. Don’t forget that the title of the book is dedicated to ‘young psychologists’. These are psychologists who are beginning their studies or young people who are unsure of what career to choose.
Even if you’re not familiar with the subject, Ignacio Solares shares a concise and concrete explanation about psychology in his book. It tries to cover and review the most important historical events of psychology as a branch of knowledge (not as science, however, which is why the book was criticized by many).
Conclusions
Reading this book will not make you an expert. However, the time you invest in it will be worth it. Since it’s an introduction to the subject, the idea is to look up more information once you finish this book. In other words, this book is a starting point that will help you keep on exploring this amazing science.