Triumphs of Experience

这是一部横跨七十余年、追踪268位男性从青年到暮年的长期研究，但它真正戳中读者的，并非那些显赫的“成功学”标签——书中确有肯尼迪、《华盛顿邮报》主编等名字，作者却刻意淡化了“谁混得更好”的世俗比较。读者反复回味的，是几个反直觉的结论：温暖童年能治愈一生，但不幸童年也未必注定不幸；真正决定人生高度的，是面对挫折时所采用的防御方式，而“把悲愤升华为创造”（sublimation）被视作最高级的应对。书名的中文译法“经验的胜利”比“ triumphs”更贴切，它提醒我们：成长不是爬楼梯，而是石头投入池塘激起的一圈圈向外扩散的涟漪。尽管有人嫌它“太鸡汤”，但正是这种不承诺捷径、只呈现生命如何随时间演化的诚实，构成了它最独特的价值。

George E. Vaillant, M.D., is a psychoanalyst and a research psychiatrist, one of the pioneers in the study of adult development. He is a professor at Harvard University and directed Harvard's Study of Adult Development for thirty-five years. He is the author of Aging Well, Triumphs of Experience and The Natural History of Alcoholism, and his 1977 book, Adaptation to Life, is a classic text in the study of adult development. He lives in Orange California, but works part time at Massachusetts GenealHospital.