120,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock 🇳🇿

Enjoy overnight delivery from our 100% NZ-owned independent bookstore 🚀

Stand Firm

Resisting the Self-Improvement Craze
3.6 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating.
( 2,895 ratings, 297 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In Stand Firm, Danish philosopher and psychologist Svend Brinkmann challenges the relentless pursuit of happiness and success promoted by modern self-help culture. Rather than urging continuous self-improvement and introspection, Brinkmann advocates resisting these pressures by standing firm and accepting oneself to live harmoniously with others. This witty, anti-self-help guide offers a compelling alternative to positive thinking and life coaching, encouraging readers to embrace a steadier approach to life.
Read More
Format: Hardback
$9599

International Supplier

This title is in-stock with overseas suppliers. While it is not available locally, we fly books in weekly from the US and UK to our Auckland warehouse for immediate dispatch.

AVAILABLE WITH SUPPLIER Ships from our Auckland warehouse within 3-4 weeks

Found a better price? Request a price match

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Stand Firm is ideal for readers interested in philosophy, psychology, and cultural critique, especially those weary of mainstream self-help trends and seeking thoughtful alternatives to contemporary pressures.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

The pace of modern life is accelerating. To keep up, we must keep on moving and adapting constantly striving for greater happiness and success. Or so we are told.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The pace of modern life is accelerating. To keep up, we must keep on moving and adapting – constantly striving for greater happiness and success. Or so we are told. But the demands of life in the fast lane come at a price: stress, fatigue and depression are at an all-time high, while our social interactions have become increasingly self-serving and opportunistic.

How can we resist today's obsession with introspection and self-improvement? In this witty and bestselling book, Danish philosopher and psychologist Svend Brinkmann argues that we must not be afraid to reject the self-help mantra and stand firm. The secret to a happier life lies not in finding your inner self but in coming to terms with yourself in order to coexist peacefully with others. By encouraging us to stand firm and get a foothold in life, this vibrant anti-self-help guide offers a compelling alternative to life coaching, positive thinking and the need always to say 'yes!'

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised as a "deliciously provocative" manifesto by the Financial Times, Stand Firm is celebrated for its subversive take on the career and self-help industries. Carol Midgely of The Times highlights its counterintuitive seven steps, including "Cut out the navel-gazing" and "Sack your coach," which she found personally effective. The New Internationalist commends Brinkmann's blend of wit and perceptiveness, describing the book as a "brilliant, funny, liberating and significant critique" of our culture's individualising demands. Together, these reviews showcase the book as a fresh and insightful critique of modern self-help mania.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781509514250

Publisher: Polity Press

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 20 February 2017

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Polity Press

Contributors:

  • Translated by Tam McTurk

Audience: General / adult, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 18.0mm

Width: 140.0mm

Height: 218.0mm

Weight: 340g

Pages: 152

About the Author

Svend Brinkmann was living the relatively sedate life of a professor of psychology at Aalborg University when Stand Firm was published. The book was an overnight sensation in Denmark and catapulted him into the media limelight as a leading public intellectual and cultural critic. Svend now travels widely to host events and lecture on the big questions of modern life. He has featured in several documentaries, and presented Live Fast on Danish television and the Meaningful Life series on national radio.

Also by Svend Brinkmann

View all
  • Standpoints
    Self-help gurus, life coaches, and business consultants love to tell us that we must strive for constant self-improvement to realise our full potential and become truly happy. But it doesn't seem to work – for many of us, life still seems hollow and meaningless. So focused are we on personal development and material possessions that we've overlooked the things that...
    Paperback
    $3799
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks
  • Think
    A defining feature of being human is our ability to think. We refer to ourselves, after all, as Homo sapiens. But in a world where experiencing and achieving as much as possible is the number one preoccupation, there is little room for reflection. Technology is also making everything easier, eroding the need for us to think at all. Of course,...
    Paperback
    $3099
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks
  • Think
    A defining feature of being human is our ability to think. We refer to ourselves, after all, as Homo sapiens. But in a world where experiencing and achieving as much as possible is the number one preoccupation, there is little room for reflection. Technology is also making everything easier, eroding the need for us to think at all. Of course,...
    Hardback
    $10799
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks
  • The Experience Society
    In today's 'experience society', everything is judged by personal experience, from online shopping to funerals. Value is measured by how satisfying an individual finds their experience, and the experience economy thrives on this desire for entertainment and fulfilment. Yet debates often reach an impasse when reduced to subjective feelings—whether offence is taken or criticisms are dismissed. Svend Brinkmann explores this...
    Paperback
    $4000
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • Grief
    Wherever love and death meet there is grief. It affects us all regardless of ethnicity, age, class, or sexual orientation. Grief is universal – it has endured across time, societies and cultures from the earliest human communities to the present day. But the way we deal with grief is changing. Increasingly, we are diagnosing grief as a medical condition to...
    Paperback
    $3599
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks
  • My Year with God
    How are Christians capable of believing? Is it faith or delusion? Or is there something wrong with me? I do not believe in spirits, gods, miracles, resurrection or eternal life. But I will seek to cast off my prejudices and give God a chance. At least for a year. Danish writer Svend Brinkmann spent a year with God, exploring faith...
    Paperback
    $3799
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks
  • My Year with God
    How are Christians capable of believing? Is it faith or delusion? Or is there something wrong with me? I do not believe in spirits, gods, miracles, resurrection or eternal life. But I will seek to cast off my prejudices and give God a chance. At least for a year. Danish writer Svend Brinkmann spent a year with God, exploring faith...
    Hardback
    $11999
    Available
    Ships in 3-4 weeks

More from Philosophy & Psychology

View all
  • Strangers
    The must-read memoir of the end of a marriage and the start of a personal revolution, based on the iconic Modern Love essay in the New York Times and perfect for fans of Glennon Doyle. "A beautifully written eulogy for the loss of a relationship" — Joyce Carol Oates How do we go on when a loved one betrays us?...
    Paperback
    $3299
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Eat Your Ice Cream
    On Sale
    12% off
    Eat Your Ice Cream
    The New York Times bestseller that presents a bold new vision for living well and ageing with purpose from a world-renowned health expert THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From a leading doctor and world-renowned health expert, the simple, uplifting and practical guide to cutting through the wellness noise, living well and ageing with purpose. ‘Essential reading for anyone who...
    Paperback
    $2800
    Elsewhere:
    $4000
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Winner's Formula
    The Neuroscience of Peak Performance, Success, and Happiness Why do some people win all the time? Why do others languish? From Olympians to Formula 1 drivers, addicts to billionaires, cognitive neuroscientist Dr Kerry Spackman has spent decades working to help people understand how to succeed. In The Winner's Formula, Kerry explains what goes on in your brain when you are...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Inside the Box
    How to do more with less and use limits to stimulate creativity, innovation and collaboration, from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Range. We live in a world that gives us seemingly infinite choices and values freedom above all else. We have an unprecedented number of options regarding what to do, who to be and how to spend our time....
    Paperback
    $3000
    Elsewhere:
    $3900
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • The Body Keeps the Score
    The Body Keeps the Score by Dr Bessel van der Kolk is a compelling and compassionate exploration of the deep-seated impact of trauma on the human body and mind. This groundbreaking work delves into the complex causes of trauma and paints a vivid picture of the revolutionary treatments that are enabling countless individuals to reclaim their lives filled with purpose...
    Paperback
    $2400
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Better Never Stops
    New Release
    Better Never Stops
    The Art and Science of Continuous Improvement From delinquent to doctor, Paul Wood knows first-hand how far we can take our lives if we address what holds us back. At the age of 18, Wood was sent to New Zealand's toughest prison. Almost 11 years later, in 2006, he walked out a free man, escaping his past and becoming a...
    Paperback
    $3199
    Elsewhere:
    $3999
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Mauritau
    New Release
    Mauritau
    A journal to find balance with the 12 states of Mauri. Mauri is the pulse of wellbeing - the spark that makes you uniquely you. In Mauritau, clinical psychologist Jessica Gerbic introduces the 12 states of Mauri and shows how intentional awareness can guide your sense of balance across mind, body, spirit, environment and whānau. From Mauri Oho, a sudden...
    Hardback
    $3099
    Elsewhere:
    $3799
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Don't Believe Everything You Think (Expanded Edition)
    In this book, you'll discover the root cause of all psychological and emotional suffering and how to achieve freedom of mind to effortlessly create the life you've always wanted to live. Although pain is inevitable, suffering is optional. This book offers a completely new paradigm and understanding of where our human experience comes from, allowing us to end our own...
    Paperback
    $2800
    Elsewhere:
    $3500
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Tell Me Where It Hurts
    Leading expert Rachel Zoffness bridges the gap between medicine and psychology to get to the heart of treating pain We can move the dial on pain Every one of us will experience pain, be it back pain, the pain of childbirth, or living in an ageing body. Not a single one of us will escape. But what if everything you...
    Hardback
    $6500
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • 1984 Nineteen Eighty-Four
    In the drab and oppressive world of 1984 Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell introduces us to Winston Smith, a man haunted by the omnipresent surveillance and control exercised by the Party and its enigmatic leader, Big Brother. Winston works diligently at the Ministry of Truth, where his job is to alter historical records to fit the ever-changing narrative dictated by the...
    Paperback
    $1299
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Strong Ground
    #1 New York Times bestselling author Brené Brown returns with an urgent call to reimagine the essentials of courageous leadership. In a time when uncertainty runs deep and bluster, hubris and even cruelty are increasingly framed as acceptable leadership, Brown delivers practical, actionable insights that illuminate the mindsets and skill sets essential to reclaiming focus and driving growth through connection, discipline and...
    Hardback
    $4000
    Elsewhere:
    $5500
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow
  • Never Split the Difference
    Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss and Tahl Raz offers readers a groundbreaking approach to negotiation, drawing on Voss's extensive experience as the FBI’s lead international kidnapping negotiator. This transformative book delves into the high-stakes world of hostage negotiations, translating these intense experiences into actionable strategies for everyday life and business dealings. Through masterfully relaying his encounters with bank...
    Paperback
    $2200
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships tomorrow

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.