The Right to Surrender. 7 Essays on Real Freedom of Choice

To surrender or not to surrender – what is the real question?

Society tells us: “Never give up!” But what if this stubbornness causes us to endlessly roll a useless stone up our mountain, like Sisyphus? What is the difference between healthy persistence and destructive self-deception? How can the rejection of illusions, toxic relationships, or neurotic attachments become an act of liberation rather than defeat?

Adam Phillips, one of the most original psychoanalysts of our time, offers a radical view on the nature of surrender. Drawing on Freud and Jung and referring to the images of Kafka, Shakespeare, and Mann, he leads the reader to a provocative conclusion: our personality is made up of a series of refusals, capitulations, and sacrifices. The right to surrender in a timely manner is not a weakness, but a necessary condition for maturation and gaining freedom.