Summary of Will Storr's Selfie

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

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#1 In 2007, Debbie took an overdose of over ninety pills. She was mad at herself, and felt like it would crush her. She had so much self-loathing that she felt like it would crush her.

#2 The human self seems to be malfunctioning in some way, and I believe it’s because we constantly put ourselves under pressure to be successful, when life’s not like that.

#3 Suicide is a form of self-harm that is the most extreme form of self-harm. It is the most extreme form of a catastrophic breakdown in the human self. Today, more people die by suicide than in all the wars, terrorist attacks, murders, and government executions combined.

#4 The data on suicide is extremely variable, but one set estimates that there are twenty times more attempted than completed suicides every year. That’s a massive amount of people whose supposedly self-interested selves are suddenly turning against them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Mar 29, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669377368

IRB Media

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Insights on Will Storr's Selfie

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

In 2007, Debbie took an overdose of over ninety pills. She was mad at herself, and felt like it would crush her. She had so much self-loathing that she felt like it would crush her.

#2

The human self seems to be malfunctioning in some way, and I believe it’s because we constantly put ourselves under pressure to be successful, when life’s not like that.

#3

Suicide is a form of self-harm that is the most extreme form of self-harm. It is the most extreme form of a catastrophic breakdown in the human self. Today, more people die by suicide than in all the wars, terrorist attacks, murders, and government executions combined.

#4

The data on suicide is extremely variable, but one set estimates that there are twenty times more attempted than completed suicides every year. That’s a massive amount of people whose supposedly self-interested selves are suddenly turning against them.

#5

There are many vulnerabilities that can heighten risk of suicide, including impulsivity, brooding rumination, low serotonin, and poor social-problem-solving abilities. Most people with depression do not commit suicide.

#6

The model for suicidal thinking is based on an influential paper by the eminent psychologist Professor Roy Baumeister, in which it’s described as an escape from the self. The process starts when events in a person’s life fall severely short of standards and expectations. The self then blames itself for these failures, and loses faith in its ability to repair what’s gone wrong.

#7

The human self is to make us feel in control of our lives. When people are having perfectionistic thoughts, they’re wanting to feel that they’re in control of their mission of being the great person they imagine they ought to be. But when their plans go badly awry, they’ll strive to get that control back.

#8

The pressures of today’s society are apparently causing body image problems in young people. This is especially true for boys, who are being swamped with anxiety and stress due to the expectations of being perfect.

#9

Perfectionism is a pattern of thinking that can lead to a range of negative emotions, from anxiety to self-loathing. It’s common for people to consider themselves perfect, but the dark effects of perfectionism are lesser known.

#10

Social media is a big contributor to the misperception among students that everyone else around them seems happy and content. In reality, many are not.

#11

The self is the thing that’s becoming damaged. It’s the self that’s responsible for our preoccupation with status, attraction, achievement,