Curiosity Drive: Our Need for Inquisitive Thinking

An inspirational look at the vital role curiosity plays in life which offers an intriguing perspective on human interaction. The Curiosity Drive explores the central importance of curiosity in developing the human mind and the consequences of this for human behaviour and thinking. It provides clear models for understanding the mind and how people relate to each other, and examines such crucial themes as the 'healthy' organisation, group dynamics, the unconscious, ethics, hate, politics, therapy, and love through the lens of Shakespeare. After eighteen frustrating months heading a specialist adolescent unit, Philip Stokoe applied for a training in consultation at the Tavistock Clinic based on the 'Tavi' aka 'group relations' model. This experience changed his life and, ultimately, led to this book, The Curiosity Drive: How Inquisitive Thinking Develops the Mind and Protects Society. Embedding the training into his working life, Stokoe came to recognise the crucial importance of curiosity to the development of the mind. Alongside love and hate, it is a primary drive inside each of us. Without the desire to 'know', human evolution would take a very different path. Philip Stokoe outlines the work of Freud, Klein, and Bion to provide a firm foundation to his exploration of individual development and how it relates to groups and organisations. He lays bare why so many organisations are dysfunctional, takes an in- depth look at the problems unique to psychoanalytic institutions, and gives clear insight into how groups function as a separate entity to the individuals involved. He also investigates curiosity's shadow side, detailing the 'alternative' processes needed when it becomes a problem.