Nathaniel Branden facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nathaniel Branden
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Publicity photo of Nathaniel Branden
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Nathan Blumenthal
April 9, 1930 Brampton, Ontario, Canada
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| Died | December 3, 2014 (aged 84) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Citizenship | United States |
| Known for | Founder of self-esteem movement in psychology, former associate of Ayn Rand |
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| Fields | Psychotherapy |
Nathaniel Branden (born Nathan Blumenthal; April 9, 1930 – December 3, 2014) was a Canadian–American psychotherapist and writer. He is well-known for his important work in the psychology of self-esteem.
Branden was an early associate of the writer Ayn Rand. He played a big part in the 1960s in sharing Rand's philosophy called Objectivism. Rand and Branden later had a disagreement in 1968. After this, Branden focused on creating his own ideas about psychology and therapy.
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Early Life and Education
Nathaniel Branden was born Nathan Blumenthal in Brampton, Ontario, Canada. His parents, Dinah and Joseph Blumenthal, were Jewish immigrants from Russia. He grew up with three sisters: Florence, Elayne, and Reva.
Branden was a very smart student. During his first year of high school, he became bored with his classes. He often skipped school to spend time in the library. Because of this, his grades dropped. He then convinced his mother to send him to a special high school for adults. He did very well in that new environment.
After high school, Branden studied psychology. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of California Los Angeles. He then got a master's degree from New York University. In 1973, he earned his Ph.D. in psychology from the California Graduate Institute.
Working with Ayn Rand and Objectivism
In 1950, Nathaniel Branden read a book called The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. He started writing and calling Rand. Soon, Branden and his girlfriend, Barbara Weidman, visited Rand and her husband, Frank O'Connor, in Los Angeles. The four became close friends. Branden and Rand especially enjoyed exploring and developing philosophical ideas together.
After Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged was published, Branden noticed that many readers wanted to learn more about philosophy. In 1958, he started the Nathaniel Branden Lectures. These lectures were later renamed the Nathaniel Branden Institute (NBI). This organization shared Rand's philosophy of Objectivism. It offered live and recorded lectures by various thinkers, including Rand, Branden, and Alan Greenspan. Branden also wrote articles for Rand's newsletters. These articles covered topics like economics, politics, and psychology. His work at NBI helped turn Rand's ideas into a clear system known as Objectivism.
The NBI grew a lot over time. It eventually offered courses in 80 cities and had an office in the Empire State Building. In 1968, Rand publicly ended her partnership with Branden. She wrote an article criticizing him and accusing him of various issues. Branden responded with a letter to the NBI mailing list. He denied Rand's claims and suggested their disagreement was about his personal choices.
After their split, Branden published The Psychology of Self-Esteem. Many chapters of this book had first appeared in Rand's newsletter. He then developed his theories and therapy methods more independently. While he still supported the main ideas of Rand's philosophy, he later offered some criticisms. He felt her work sometimes encouraged hiding emotions. He also thought it didn't fully understand psychology beyond thinking. He also believed it didn't value kindness enough in human relationships. He later apologized for helping to create a "dreadful atmosphere" in the Objectivist movement.
Understanding Self-Esteem
Branden believed that self-esteem is a basic human psychological need. He argued that if this need is not met, people might experience problems. These problems could include being defensive, feeling anxious, or having trouble in relationships.
He formally defined self-esteem as "the feeling that one is able to handle life's challenges and deserves happiness." Branden suggested that while others, like parents or teachers, can help build self-esteem, it also comes from what we do ourselves. He described six "pillars" or practices that build self-esteem:
- Living consciously: This means being aware of what you are doing as you do it. It is like practicing mindfulness.
- Self-acceptance: This is about accepting your own thoughts, feelings, and actions. It means being kind to yourself and supporting yourself.
- Self-responsibility: This is about taking ownership of your actions. It means knowing you can make things happen in your life.
- Self-assertiveness: This means respecting your own needs and interests. It also means expressing them in good ways.
- Living purposefully: This involves setting goals for yourself. It also means making and following plans to reach those goals.
- Personal integrity: This is about making sure your actions match your beliefs.
In his book Taking Responsibility, Branden supported voluntaryism (the idea that all human interaction should be voluntary) and libertarianism (a political idea about freedom). He also saw individualism and personal freedom as very important for people.
Branden's view of self-esteem was different from many others. He included both confidence and worth in his definition. He also stressed the importance of practices that come from within a person. Because of this, he sometimes disagreed with parts of the wider "self-esteem movement." He is often called "the father of the self-esteem movement."
How Therapy Works
Nathaniel Branden started his therapy practice mainly focusing on thoughts. But in the 1970s, he quickly began using many different techniques. He used ideas from gestalt therapy, psychodrama, and Ericksonian hypnosis. He also created his own methods, like his sentence completion method, which he really liked.
In 1973, he described his therapy as having four parts:
- Education: Helping people learn new things.
- Emotional unblocking: Helping people release stuck feelings.
- Stimulation of insight: Helping people understand themselves better.
- Encouragement of behavior change: Helping people change how they act.
Branden's therapy was special because it combined feelings and thoughts. He would move back and forth between experiencing emotions and thinking about them.
Sentence Completion Method
Sentence completion was a key part of Branden's therapy. In this method, a therapist gives a client an incomplete sentence, like "If my fear could speak, it might say—". The client repeats the sentence stem many times, adding a new ending each time. They do this quickly, without overthinking. This helps people become more aware and gain insights. For example, with the stem "If I were to be kinder to myself when I'm afraid—", it can help change how someone thinks and feels. By creating new stems based on previous answers, a therapist can guide a client on a journey of self-discovery.
Later, Branden also included techniques from energy psychology. These techniques help with psychological trauma. He believed trauma could stop a person's growth. He explained that human problems happen "above the line" (in thoughts and actions) and "below the line" (in unconscious trauma stored in the body).
Personal Life
Nathaniel Branden married Barbara Weidman in 1953. Rand and her husband Frank O'Connor attended the wedding. Branden later said this marriage was difficult from the start.
Branden moved to California and married Patrecia Scott in November 1969. Sadly, Patrecia died accidentally in March 1977. She fell into a pool after possibly having a mild epileptic seizure. Branden then married Estelle Devers in December 1978. They later divorced but remained friends. Branden's last marriage was to Leigh Horton.
Branden kept a relationship with his first wife, Barbara. She wrote a well-known biography called The Passion of Ayn Rand. This book shared her view of Branden's relationship with Rand. The book was made into a movie in 1999, also called The Passion of Ayn Rand. Helen Mirren played Rand, and Eric Stoltz played Branden.
Nathaniel Branden passed away on December 3, 2014. He died from problems related to Parkinson's disease.
Books
- Who is Ayn Rand? (with Barbara Branden) (1962)
- The Psychology of Self-Esteem (1969)
- Breaking Free (1970)
- The Disowned Self (1971)
- The Psychology of Romantic Love (1980)
- The Romantic Love Question & Answer Book (with Devers Branden) (1982)
- Honoring the Self (1983)
- If You Could Hear What I Cannot Say (1985)
- To See What I See and Know What I Know (1985)
- How To Raise Your Self-Esteem (1987)
- Judgment Day: My Years with Ayn Rand (1989)
- The Power of Self-Esteem (1992)
- The Art of Self Discovery (1993)
- The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem (1994)
- Taking Responsibility (1996)
- The Art of Living Consciously (1997)
- A Woman's Self-Esteem (1998)
- Nathaniel Branden's Self-Esteem Every Day (1998)
- Self-Esteem at Work (1998)
- My Years with Ayn Rand (1999) (revised edition of Judgment Day)
- 32nd Anniversary Edition of Psychology of Self-Esteem (2001)
- The Vision of Ayn Rand (2009) (book version of his "Basic Principles of Objectivism" lecture series)
- Layers (2020) (posthumous novel)
Branden's books have been translated into 18 languages. More than 4 million copies have been printed. He also wrote essays for two of Rand's essay collections: Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal and The Virtue of Selfishness.
See also
- Objectivism and libertarianism
