The Social Animal

Author: David Brooks

the social animal

This review comes 6 months after finishing The Social Animal. Had I known I would be starting a blog I would have written sooner upon completion. Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed the piece by David Brooks, columnist for The New York Times, and therefore want to promote it.

I stumbled upon this book, as I do many others, at Goodwill during one of their half-off book sales. I enjoy sifting through the shelves in search of anything that I can potentially find crossover into coaching.

This story follows two individuals, Harold and Erica, from infancy to their golden years as a couple. It is a very interesting take on life-span development and the unconscious mind. David Brooks states on the back cover, “We’re not rational animals or laboring animals; we’re social animals. We emerge out of relationships and live to bond with one another and connect to large ideas.” I knew right away from reading this that The Social Animal is a coach’s book indeed.

That being said, there was a moment of hesitation through the first few chapters where my certainty started to waiver. As Brooks’ characters developed through infancy and early childhood I struggled to find parallels to my profession. However, as Harold and Erica continued to grow and develop my certainty returned and the parallels were plenty.

The effects of modern culture on relationships, thinking, and learning are profound. Working with athletes from all over the world, it brought to light the importance of understanding different cultures and traditions. Working with athletes from a range of socioeconomic statuses, it brought to light the importance of understanding the conditions of individuals’ upbringings. Working with a collection of athletes ranging in age of over 30 years, it brought to light the importance of understanding stages of development, growth, and maturation.

The Social Animal reinforces the idea that coaching needs to be highly individualized and supports that idea with a scientific foundation. I recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in psychology or life-span development or who relies on the development of relationships in work or life.