Larisa C.

College student Lauren Spierer was pursuing her dreams, joining her boyfriend at a party school eight hundred miles from home. Social and gregarious, studying fashion and rooming with friends, Lauren embraced her new adventure with the zeal of a young woman who suddenly had everything she desired. But there was a dark side that she and her inner circle kept secret. And one warm June evening, after heading out with friends, she seemingly vanished.

There are many people with schizoid personality disorder who are roaming planet Earth. They don't feel quite connected to the other people who are around them. They are quite content to live their lives without much interaction with other human beings. Who are these eccentric individuals? Why do they enjoy being alone when others enjoy having a companion? Why do they reject or ignore the affections of other people who might be drawn to their mysterious personality?

Schizoids are not given enough attention. The world of psychology can educate us a little bit on the 'how' and the 'why' of schizoid disorder. The problem is that each schizoid can be different from other people who are schizoids. While there is a loose definition for the different types of schizoids, everyone's personality is different and has different inborn traits. Our experiences and our brain wiring both help to develop who we are in reference to others and to the world around us.

The Courage to Be Disliked, already an enormous best seller in Asia with more than 3.5 million copies sold, demonstrates how to unlock the power within yourself to be the person you truly want to be. Using the theories of Alfred Adler, one of the three giants of 20th-century psychology, The Courage to Be Disliked follows an illuminating conversation between a philosopher and a young man. The philosopher explains to his pupil how each of us is able to determine our own life, free from the shackles of past experiences, doubts, and the expectations of others.