The Courage to Be Disliked
About the Book
The Courage to Be Disliked is a transformative and practical guide to personal happiness and self-fulfillment. Now you can unlock your full potential and free yourself from the shackles of past traumas and societal expectations to find true personal happiness. Based on the theories of renowned psychologist Alfred Adler, this book guides you through the principles of self-forgiveness, self-care, and mind decluttering in a straightforward, easy-to-digest style that’s accessible to all.
The Courage to Be Disliked unfolds as a dialogue between a philosopher and a young man, who, over the course of five enriching conversations, realizes that each of us is in control of our life’s direction, independent of past burdens and expectations of others. Wise, empowering, and profoundly liberating, this book shows you a path to lasting happiness and how to finally be the person you truly want to be. Millions are already benefiting from its teachings—and you can be next. 1
Why This Book
The Courage to Be Disliked aligns with Stage 1 — Separation, with an additional overlap with Stage 4 — Subtraction. Both focus on rejecting external control and reclaiming personal authorship. Kishimi and Koga, drawing on Adlerian psychology, formalise this through their "separation of tasks", distinguishing what belongs to oneself from what belongs to others. This aligns with the Path's process of identifying and stripping away borrowed scripts, as well as with the act of removing any actions or tasks that do not belong to you. The book translates this act into interpersonal terms, demonstrating how detachment from others' expectations manifests in relationships and daily choices.
However, the book does diverge from the Path through its inclusion of Adler's idea of "contribution to community", the belief that individual fulfilment requires living in service to others. The Path does not adopt this value system, and its focus remains on self-alignment and authorship. You may choose to adopt Adler's concept for yourself, or you may choose to disregard it, both are expressions of the authorship the Path advocates for. Though, this does not subtract from its value as a psychological expansion of the principles of Subtraction.