A Disease of One's Own

A Disease of One's Own PDF Author: John Steadman Rice
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351321188
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 354

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Book Description
In the present decade, "co-dependency" has sprung up on the landscape of American popular culture. Portrayed as an addiction-like disease responsible for a wide range of personal and social problems, co-dependency spawned a veritable social movement nationwide. 'A Disease of One's Own' examines the phenomenon of co-dependency from a sociological perspective, viewing it not as something a person "has," but as something a person believes; not as a psychological disease, but as a belief system that offers its adherents a particular way of talking about the self and social relationships. The central question addressed by the book is: Why did co-dependency--one among a plethora of already-existing discourses on self-help--meet with such widespread public appeal? Grounded in theories of cultural and social change, John Steadman Rice argues that this question can only be adequately addressed by examining the social, cultural, and historical context in which co-dependency was created and found a receptive public; the content of the ideas it espoused; and the practical uses to which co-dependency's adherents could apply those ideas in their everyday lives. In terms of the larger American context, his analysis links the emergence of co-dependency with the permeation of psychological concepts and explanations throughout Western culture over the past thirty years, focusing particularly on the cultural and social impact of the popular acceptance of what the author calls "liberation psychotherapy." Liberation psychotherapy portrays the relationship between self and society as one of intrinsic antagonism, and argues that psychological health is inversely related to the self's accommodation to social expectations. Rice argues that a principal source of co-dependency's appeal is that it affirms core premises of liberation psychotherapy, thereby espousing an increasingly conventional and familiar wisdom. It simultaneously fuses those premises with addiction-related discourse, providing people with a means of making sense of the problems of relationship and identity that have accompanied what Rice terms the "psychologization" of American life. This brilliant analysis of the phenomenon of co-dependency will be of interest to psychologists, sociologists, psychotherapists, and those interested in American popular culture.

A Disease of One's Own

A Disease of One's Own PDF Author: John Steadman Rice
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351321188
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 354

Get Book Here

Book Description
In the present decade, "co-dependency" has sprung up on the landscape of American popular culture. Portrayed as an addiction-like disease responsible for a wide range of personal and social problems, co-dependency spawned a veritable social movement nationwide. 'A Disease of One's Own' examines the phenomenon of co-dependency from a sociological perspective, viewing it not as something a person "has," but as something a person believes; not as a psychological disease, but as a belief system that offers its adherents a particular way of talking about the self and social relationships. The central question addressed by the book is: Why did co-dependency--one among a plethora of already-existing discourses on self-help--meet with such widespread public appeal? Grounded in theories of cultural and social change, John Steadman Rice argues that this question can only be adequately addressed by examining the social, cultural, and historical context in which co-dependency was created and found a receptive public; the content of the ideas it espoused; and the practical uses to which co-dependency's adherents could apply those ideas in their everyday lives. In terms of the larger American context, his analysis links the emergence of co-dependency with the permeation of psychological concepts and explanations throughout Western culture over the past thirty years, focusing particularly on the cultural and social impact of the popular acceptance of what the author calls "liberation psychotherapy." Liberation psychotherapy portrays the relationship between self and society as one of intrinsic antagonism, and argues that psychological health is inversely related to the self's accommodation to social expectations. Rice argues that a principal source of co-dependency's appeal is that it affirms core premises of liberation psychotherapy, thereby espousing an increasingly conventional and familiar wisdom. It simultaneously fuses those premises with addiction-related discourse, providing people with a means of making sense of the problems of relationship and identity that have accompanied what Rice terms the "psychologization" of American life. This brilliant analysis of the phenomenon of co-dependency will be of interest to psychologists, sociologists, psychotherapists, and those interested in American popular culture.

Codependency Conspiracy

Codependency Conspiracy PDF Author: Stan J. Katz
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
ISBN: 9780446515955
Category : Self-Help
Languages : en
Pages : 233

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Book Description
Now, for the first time, a prominent psychologist speaks out against the addiction/recovery movement, and teaches readers how to stop seeing themselves as codependent victims and how to start taking charge of their lives. Dr. Katz argues that most codependent programs, rather than promoting recovery, merely promote dependence under the guise of self-help.

A Nation of Victims

A Nation of Victims PDF Author: Charles J. Sykes
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 9780312098827
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 308

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Book Description
Charles Sykes's ProfScam sparked a furious debate over the mission and the failure of our universities. Now he turns his attention to an even more controversial subject. A Nation of Victims is the first book on the startling decay of the American backbone and the disease that is causing it. The spread of victimism has been widely noted in the media; indeed, its symptoms have produced best-selling books, fueled television ratings, spawned hundreds of support groups, and enriched tens of thousands of lawyers across the country. The plaint of the victim - Its not my fault - has become the loudest and most influential voice in America, an instrument of personal and lasting political change. In this incisive, pugnacious, frequently hilarious book, Charles Sykes reveals a society that is tribalizing, where individuals and groups define themselves not by shared culture, but by their status as victims. Victims of parents, of families, of men, of women, of the workplace, of sex, of stress, of drugs, of food, of college reading lists, of personal physical characteristics - these and a host of other groups are engaged in an ever-escalating fight for attention, sympathy, money, and legal or governmental protection. What's going on and how did we get to this point? Sykes traces the inexorable rise of the therapeutic culture and the decline of American self-reliance. With example after example, he shows how victimism has co-opted the genuine victories of the civil-rights movement for less worthy goals. And he offers hope: the prospect of a culture of renewed character, where society lends compassion to those who truly need it. Like Shelby Steele, Charles Murray, and Dinesh D'Souza, Charles Sykes defines the ground of what will be a significant national debate.

Challenging Codependency

Challenging Codependency PDF Author: Marguerite Babcock
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
In the field of addiction research and counselling there has been an increasing investment in the theory of codependency - a theory that holds women partly responsible for perpetuating the alcoholism and addiction of their male partners. This is the first anthology of feminist essays that presents a cogent critique of this theory. The unifying feature of the eighteen essays collected here is the revelation that solid evidence contradicts, rather than supports, the theory of codependency. Its assumptions are found to be unsubstantiated in theory and practice. The contributors to the volume explore the history of codependency theory and look at reasons for its growing popularity in medical-model politics. A central theme emerges: that codependency theory is essentially misogynist in nature - the result of a male backlash against feminism. The collection leaves no doubt that this backlash is effective. These essays reveal the many ways that codependency therapy promotes advice and counselling that is damaging and ultimately fails women seeking help for their distress. This anthology, aimed at professionals as well as readers at large reveals a remarkable body of literature questioning the validity of popular addictions philosophy about women and the quality of the scholarship that supports those theories.

Relationship Within

Relationship Within PDF Author: Ingrid Frances Smyer PH.D
Publisher: Balboa Press
ISBN: 145257829X
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 347

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Book Description
Relationship Within offers practical advice on how to monitor and ease your stress around relationships. It offers a strength-based approach that builds on the multiple capacities, resiliencies, talents, abilities, and the inherent worth of individuals to create lasting relationships. Psychology and relationship expert Ingrid Fran Smyer reveals the positive aspects of an inner relationship that encompasses an individual's whole life, including mind, body, spirit, and community. Relationship Within explores how personality, upbringing, and life events lead to problematic relationship patterns. The good news is that there is hope. The recovery of relationships begins with an initial stage of awareness in which the person recognizes that change is possible. Ingrid provides insight into how this dynamic influences family life, career choices, optimum health, and longevity.

Pathological Altruism

Pathological Altruism PDF Author: Barbara Oakley
Publisher: OUP USA
ISBN: 0199738572
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 494

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Book Description
Pathological Altruism is a groundbreaking new book - the first to explore the negative aspects of altruism and empathy, seemingly uniformly positive traits. In fact, pathological altruism, in the form of an unhealthy focus on others to the detriment of one's own needs, may underpin some personality disorders. Hyperempathy - an excess of concern for what others think and how they feel - helps explain popular but poorly defined concepts such as codependency. The contributing authors of this book provide a scientific, social, and cultural foundation for the subject of pathological altruism, creating a new field of inquiry. Each author's approach points to one disturbing truth: what we value so much, the altruistic "good" side of human nature, can also have a dark side that we ignore at our peril.

Constructing the Sexual Crucible

Constructing the Sexual Crucible PDF Author: David M Schnarch
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 9780393701029
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 664

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Book Description
This book challenges the fundamental paradigms in sexual-marital therapies, and provides a fresh look at the nature of intimacy and the diverse barriers to eroticism in many marriages. By integrating individual, sexual and marital therapies, this study attempts to provide a fresh look at the nature of intimacy and the diverse barriers to eroticism in marriage. The author refutes the common focus on sexual technique, calling instead for an emphasis on sexual potential.

The Myth of Sex Addiction

The Myth of Sex Addiction PDF Author: David J. Ley
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1442213051
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 271

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Book Description
The media today is filled with powerful men in trouble for their sexual behaviors, and invariably, they are diagnosed as sexual addicts. Since Adam first hid his nakedness from God and pointed the finger at Eve, men have struggled to take responsibility for their sexuality. Over the past three decades, these behaviors have come to reflect not a moral failing, but instead, evidence of an ill-defined disease, that of "sexual addiction." The concept of sexual addiction is a controversial one because it is based on questionable research and subjective moral judgments. Labeling these behaviors as sex addiction asserts a false, dangerous myth that undermines personal responsibility. Not only does this epidemic of sex addiction excuses mislabel male sexuality as dangerous and unhealthy, but it destroys our ability to hold people accountable for their behaviors. By labeling males as weak and powerless before the onslaught and churning tide of lust, we take away those things that men should live up to: personal responsibility; integrity; self-control; independence; accountability; self-motivation; honor; respect for self and others. In The Myth of Sex Addiction, Ley presents the history and questionable science underlying this alleged disorder, exposing the moral and cultural judgments that are embedded in the concept, as well as the significant economic factors that drive the label of sex addiction in clinical practice and the popular media. Ley outlines how this label represents a social attack on many forms of sexuality--male sexuality in particular--as well as presenting the difficulty this label creates in holding people responsible for their sexual behaviors. Going against current assumptions and trends, Ley debunks the idea that sex addiction is real, or at least that it is as widespread as it appears to be. Instead, he suggests that the high-sex behaviors of some men is something that has been tacitly condoned for countless years and is only now labeled as a disorder as men are being held accountable to the same rules that have been applied to women. He suggests we should expect men to take responsibility for sexual choices, rather than supporting an approach that labels male sexual desire as a "demonic force" that must be resisted, feared, treated, and exorcised.

Asian American Autobiographers

Asian American Autobiographers PDF Author: Guiyou Huang
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 0313016763
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 461

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Book Description
Asian Americans have made many significant contributions to industry, science, politics, and the arts. At the same time, they have made great sacrifices and endured enormous hardships. This reference examines autobiographies and memoirs written by Asian Americans in the twentieth century. Included are alphabetically arranged entries on 60 major autobiographers of Asian descent. Some of these, such as Meena Alexander and Maxine Hong Kingston, are known primarily for their writings; others, such as Daniel K. Inouye, are known largely for other achievements, which they have chronicled in their autobiographies. Each entry is written by an expert contributor and provides a reliable account of the autobiographer's life; reviews major autobiographical works and themes, including fictionalized autobiographies and autobiographical novels; presents a meticulously researched account of the critical reception of these works; and closes with a bibliography of primary and secondary sources. An introductory essay considers the history and development of autobiography in American literature and culture and discusses issues and themes vital to Asian American autobiographies and memoirs, such as family, diaspora, nationhood, identity, cultural assimilation, racial dynamics, and the formation of the Asian American literary canon. The volume closes with a selected bibliography.

Just As I Am

Just As I Am PDF Author: Robert Williams
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 0307818756
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 390

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Book Description
The first openly gay man to be ordained an Episcopal priest offers lesbians and gays good news about being Christian and homosexual, discussing the positive images of homosexuality in the scriptures and more.