This past week I have been reading the book called "A Unified Theory of Happiness" by Andrea F. Polard, PsyD. In her book she talks about different ways to achieve happiness by examining what she calls the "Basic Mode" and the "Supreme Mode". Through these two modes, she tells about how to handle life in different aspects and to look at it through a different lens that will ultimately give you a happier outlook on life. In the beginning of the book she gives you an overview of what these two modes are and then gives you a questionnaire to help you evaluate which areas of your life you are happiest in and which you are not. At that point you are free to skip around chapters to the certain areas you feel you could use the most help in such as confidence and connection. At the end of each chapter dealing with one of the topics such as listed above, she gives you exercises you can complete to put into practice what she talked about in that chapter such as books to read, movies to watch, conversations to have with others, spiritual growth and writing activities. To help illustrate this a bit better and give you an overview of a thought-provoking book, I'll provide a brief summary of some of the topics she covers.To help illustrate this a bit better and give you an overview of a thought-provoking book, I'll provide a brief summary of some of the topics she covers.
To help illustrate this a bit better and give you an overview of a thought-provoking book, I'll provide a brief summary of some of the topics she covers.
The Basic Mode
In the Basic Mode part of the book she talks about the fragility of life and how that leads to unhappiness. Following she talks about Ambition, Competence, Connection and Confidence. All of these have roles in how we view our happiness. She uses life examples, quotes and notes from other scholars and people of interest in that field, along with practical reasoning about why we feel the way we do and how to address that in a positive and constructive way.
The Supreme Mode
In the Supreme Mode she covers topics such as The Strength of Life, Receptivity, Tranquility, Reliance, and Lightheartedness. All of these things are covered in finding a way to envision your happiness as something that is apart of the world.
As a form of non-fiction, this is one of the best books I have read which teeters on the line of a self-help / discovery of self type of book. Calling for introspective examination and a longing for a more fulfilling life, I would consider this a book for a person of any age that wants to know if there is still something missing from their life and one last piece to the puzzle. Hopefully I gave the author Andrea F. Polard, PsyD along with her book "A Unified Theory of Happiness" justice on my summary and have persuaded you to pick this up at some point as well.
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