Cum să faci pace cu imperfecțiunea

Elliot D. Cohen looks at how the need to be perfect can cause pain. He sets this apart from trying to do well. People may demand that they, others, or life be perfect. This stress can block goals they set for the long term.

This self-help book is for those who face such demands. Cohen draws on philosophy and a form of help he developed. He calls it logic-based therapy. It uses logic to test beliefs. He says false beliefs can lead to feelings and acts that defy reason. Beliefs that do not fit real life can do this too. He lists the need to be perfect among 11 core errors in how we judge. The book sets out ten types of this need. Short worksheets help readers spot patterns in how they think.

Readers use a six-step method to test fixed beliefs. It also helps them accept their flaws. Some tasks address thoughts that leave room only for success or failure. They also address harsh views of the self. Other tasks deal with thoughts that will not let go. They tackle harmful habits too. The book links these patterns to a low sense of self-worth. It also links them to depression, anger, and anxiety. These patterns can make it hard to cope when things thwart one's hopes.

Cohen helped start philosophical counselling in the United States. This form of help draws on philosophy. He was a student and close colleague of Albert Ellis. He has written many books and articles. He teaches the humanities, which study human thought and culture. He also teaches clinical ethics. This field deals with right and wrong in health care. He teaches philosophical counselling too. He heads the Logic-Based Therapy & Consultation Institute. He has taught his approach at West University of Timișoara since 2020. He joined Timișoara’s ReCentre clinic in 2022.

Florin Lobont and Ioana Ploesteanu translated the book from English. This edition starts a series for Romanian readers. The series shares Cohen’s thought and ways of working. It grew from training programmes linked to his work in Timișoara.