Based on his extraordinary autobiography, Born to Run, I offer some reflections on the psychology of Bruce Springsteen. His life long struggle with depression was a result of chronic strains and traumas in his childhood home. He responded to this emotional wasteland with a fierce determination to separate and an unusual ability to focus on his career. In addition to getting help via psychotherapy and medication, Springsteen was ultimately healed by the love of his wife and children. In his musical development, he was concerned always with community—the effects on people’s personal lives of injustices in that community, and his successful attempts to create community in his infamous live performances. Since Bruce Springsteen has been my musical idol since 1969, I hope that I’ve done him justice.
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