‘How can I get in touch with this real self, underlying all my surface behaviour? How can I become myself?’ Carl Rogers, US psychotherapist

The Inner Self is a book about the ways we hide from the truth about ourselves - both as individuals and as human beings - and the psychological freedom we enjoy when we finally face that most searching question of all: ‘Who am I, really?’

Hugh Mackay, one of Australia’s most respected social psychologists, explores our ‘top 20’ hiding places - from addiction to materialism, nostalgia to victimhood. His explanation for our evasiveness is simple but profound: we fear the demands of love.

He argues that love is our highest ideal, the richest source of life’s meaning and purpose, and the key to our emotional security, personal serenity and confidence.

Yet Mackay exposes the great paradox of human nature that while love brings out our best, we don’t always want our best brought forward. Love promotes goodness, but we don’t always want to be good.

Powerfully written and drawing on a lifetime of research, The Inner Self shows how we can overcome our reluctance to live lovingly and, in the process, lead more meaningful and fulfilling lives.