This book began as a series of lectures that I delivered between 1983 and 1994 at the conferences and seminars of my and my husband s organization The Jefferson School of Philosophy Economics and Psychology Subsequent to their delivery the lectures appeared as a series of pamphlets At the urging of my husband and others I have agreed to allow my pamphlets to be put together in the form of a book in the belief that their content can be of value to readers interested in psychology and psychotherapy My lectures now the chapters of this book cover a variety of topics The Psychological Requirements of a Free Society Understanding the Subconscious Anger The Obsessive Compulsive Syndrome The Art of Introspection Toward a Lasting Romantic Relationship in two parts Happiness Skills and The Role of Philosophy In Psychotherapy In addition the book contains an interview with me concerning my views on psychotherapy All of my lectures are the product of many years of experience in the practice of psychotherapy first in New York City and then in southern California That experience was and still is aided by theoretical knowledge derived from a variety of sources I was initially exposed to many of these in the course of earning a master s degree in personality theory before earning my doctorate in clinical psychology Among them have been Silvano Arrieti Leon Salzman Alfred Adler and Karen Horney And despite many major points on which I strongly disagree with his system I must include Sigmund Freud who identified the enormous role of the subconscious mind in human psychology I also want to acknowledge a major philosophical influence coming from the writings of Ayn Rand