The Person Inside Us
Good Fit
- Readers who want to look playfully at what everyday habits «mean»
- Those interested in the style of popular-psychology and fortune-telling books in 1990s Turkey
- Anyone looking for a light read written in short paragraph-stories
Not a Fit
- Those seeking scientific, evidence-based psychology
- Anyone who wants to judge themselves or a relative by this book's «explanations»: they are unconfirmed
- Anyone seeking help for real psychological distress or a fear disorder
The book opens with the publisher's foreword: «we have explained the relation of human character to numbers, colours, palm and face lines, and the behaviour created by shyness and stress in a cause-and-effect relationship», and it promises tests, evaluations and advice. In the following pages every «question heading» runs in the same mould: a familiar everyday scene («you tip the bottle up», «you listen at doors»), then the question «Where does this quirk come from?» and a short explanation.
Most explanations rest on childhood and the subconscious: drinking from the bottle is «longing for the mother's breast», listening at doors «fear of loneliness and the feeling of loneliness», quarrelsomeness an «inferiority complex», interest in weapons «lack of self-confidence or hidden homosexuality» (citing Freud), playing with or mouthing a necklace a «nipple symbol», twisting the wedding ring «longing for bachelor days», chewing matchsticks «nervous fatigue». These claims are supported by no research and often lead the reader to a negative conclusion about themselves.
After each heading a «Story» is given: Nerval and his cousin, Baudelaire, Verlaine and his cousin Elisa, Rimbaud and the matchstick. These stories resemble fictional invention more than historical fact and no source is given; they are presented as «historical examples» of the habit. In some headings the author switches to a tone of admonition: «this behaviour of yours is violence», «see a doctor», «take a sedative».
After this section the book moves on to «The Secret Language of Numbers»: number values are given to the letters of a name, added up and a «lucky number» extracted; then a «lucky number» is also found from one's birthplace and birth date and each number is linked with a character. The author cites Freud and Cicero for this, but this system of calculation has no scientific basis; it is fortune-telling.
- Each heading is built in the mould «question — scene — explanation — story»
- The language is plain and conversational, with short paragraphs
- No sources or studies are given; famous names (Freud, Baudelaire, Rimbaud) are cited to create credibility
- The thinking returns again and again to the scheme «your habit = a childhood lack»
A popular-psychology book of the same period: the lower brain and dream analysis — reviewed on our site
An approach to everyday behaviour and thinking errors based on scientific research
At the end of the part read, the section «The Secret Language of Numbers» begins: the author teaches how to calculate a «lucky number» by turning the letters of a first name and surname into numbers and adding them — for example the numbers of the name «Ayşe Çiçek» add up to 35, then 3+5 = 8. What follows is outside the scope of this review.
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