John Joseph Powell (aka John Powell) was a Jesuit priest and author, and brother of Rita Donlan and William Powell.
He received elementary-school education at the John B. Murphy public school in Chicago. In June 1943, Powell graduated from the Loyola Academy in Chicago. In August 1943, he entered the Society of Jesus at Milford, Ohio. In the fall of 1947, he began a three-year course in philosophy at West Baden College, and enrolled in Loyola University, where he took a Bachelor of Arts degree the following June. He began graduate work at Loyola in 1948 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1956.
Powell worked at West Baden University (1961-1965), the Bellarmine School of Theology of Loyola University (1965-1968) and Loyola University (1968-2001), where he became an associate professor of theology and psychology. Powell was a proponent of humanistic Catholicism and wrote many books mostly dealing with psychology and Catholic theology, and conducted spiritual retreats along with his counseling work. He later retired in Michigan and allegedly died with Alzheimer's disease.
The first time I ever realized and admitted out loud that I feel angry was after I read this book. It was a first in a series of books of realizing the feelings behind my frustrations, and helped me to realize a lot of what was simmering in me and then be able to learn how to deal with it. I never thought I was an angry person until I read this book. I realized when I would say what I feel instead of acting out to a situation in order to not tell someone what was really going on with me, it would normally be I feel angry... for whatever reason. This may sound cliche, but I realized there was a lot of anger from my childhood that I had to deal with in counseling to let go and stop making others around me suffer for my prejudices, bitternesses and hangups.
I had to look up the S.J. that follows the author's name on my copy. Society of Jesus.I ignored the God stuff in the book but it was there. It's hard not to consider his personal life in reviewing this book, now that I've read numerous articles about it, as he was accused multiple times of sex crimes against female students and at retreats. I am interested in relationships, how people communicate (or don't), the idea of honesty and the discovery of 'who I am', which by the way was a popular topic in the 1960's when this book was written. Though there are many basic facts about personality disorders and a list of 'games' we all play- masks we wear, I now wonder about HIS masks. Though he was not ever charged in these many allegations, it certainly colors my views on his blunt presentation of human behavior. Ironically, p. 118 he states that he cannot justify judging others he can only "report my emotions to you with candor and honesty...reveal myself openly and honestly..try to be honest with myself and communicate myself honestly to you." Hmmm.
I do like this quote: "In short, you can't be happy unless you are honest with yourself and you can't be honest with yourself unless you can be honest with another."
I gave this two stars because I used my brother's copy of it to weigh down a lid on a Habitrail that had a broken snap. This kept the hamster in the cage. Hence the "okay" rating.
It might not have fared so well had there been no hamster.
why am i afraid to tell you who i am? i am afraid to tell you who i am, because, if i tell you who i am, you may not like who i am, and it's all that i have... 鈥� john powell
I don't think John Powell really answers the question "Why Am I Afraid to Tell You Who I Am?" He writes that we "act 'roles', wear 'masks', and play 'games'" to "protect ourselves from further vulnerability" (p. 5), but he doesn't really address where this vulnerability comes from. He says that our "'programming' is a result of the composite of previous influences in our lives (social programming) and our reaction to them (individual programming)" and that we have "something like a portable tape recorder" inside us (p. 8). Well, this is certainly an assumption, but what is the justification? The final chapter of the booklet contains "a catalogue of games and roles" people play (pp. 74鈥�105). A better title of the book would have been "Common Games People Play".
It was weird and new but surprisingly logical for me! ...I think it's from a very deep insight from the author...I learned alot but there always remains a "but"! Will read it again.This book is a challenge and difficult to understand for most of us as we live in a matetialistic world! Challenge yourself and read it.