The writer of this book is a practising psychologist, and I found his reflections on the various recent ‘popular myths’ in the busy world of self-help and personal development to be a breath of fresh air.
It may seem a paradox: a paperback on psychology having a pop at all the other popular paperbacks on self-development. But bear with him, as I think he has a very healthy and grounded approach to life. He reminds us of the need for compassion, forgiveness and mindfulness when some of the strident writers are just piling on the pressure.
Each fashionable myth is covered in a short chapter, 23 in all, covering all the current pressures, from “whatever the problem, CBT is the answer” to NLP’s “there is no failure, only feedback”, to “think positive and be a winner”.
Clearly there is hunger for self-development and spiritual growth, and this book I find is a useful antidote to some of the quick-fix books which actually can make matters worse. Reference:
Psychobabble: exploring the myths of the self-help generation. Dr Stephen Briers (2012) Pearson Education Ltd.