From Publishers Weekly
In this plainspoken, welcome follow-up to his 1965 bestseller Reality Therapy, no-nonsense psychiatrist Glasser revisits some familiar psychological terrain and presents a series of candid chats with composite characters closely drawn from his patients. His reality theory emphasizes the importance of conscious choice and personal responsibility as effective alternatives to drugs or electroshock therapy for redirecting the destructive behaviors often labeled as mental illness. Glasser repeatedly stresses the importance to his clients of meaningful, loving relationships to sustaining good emotional and mental health; those clients include a teenage girl infatuated with promiscuity, a suicidal husband who dreams of becoming the woman he sees when he looks in the mirror, a battered wife fearful of freedom, a potentially explosive teenage boy raised on harsh words and cruelty, and an obsessive-compulsive man transfixed with his similarity to the nasty Jack Nicholson character in the film As Good as It Gets. Wasting no time on exploring dreams or childhood trauma, Glasser hones in on the obstacles to each patient's intimate relationships or normal functioning. While some of the results are extremely positive, not all of the conflicts are resolved favorably or predictably. Taking an unromanticized look at our modern phobias and manias, Glasser offers sharp insights into how making rational, effective choices can heal the mind and soul. 25-city radio campaign. (Jan.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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From Kirkus Reviews
The backlash may be on. Turn away from ``organic psychiatry,'' urges Glasser (Choice Theory, 1998, etc.); help patients with mental illness accept that they are responsible for their behavior; and drastically reduce our reliance on medications for treating mental illness. Joined by a growing crowd (Peter Breggin, for instance, and Schaler, below), Glasser reiterates his opposition to the theory that mental illness is caused by chemical imbalances in the brain. Instead, he insists that ``what is labeled mental illness . . . are the hundreds of ways people choose to behave when they are unable to satisfy basic genetic needs, such as love and power.'' He interprets brain scan research to show that as patients work in (non-drug) therapy, they begin to make better choices in life, and that as a result, brain chemistry changes. This collection of case histories and commentary ranges over marital discord, panic attacks, alcoholism, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and schizophrenia. Glasser demonstrates how he conducts therapy that helps patients take responsibility for their actions, gradually find better ways to meet their needs, and change inappropriate patterns of behavior. He is generally against ``external control psychology,'' arguing again that patients must learn to control themselves. Though his views are sometimes remote from the current mainstream (``A major purpose of all psychological symptoms is to get sympathy and attention''), he makes a cogent case for his dissent. For those looking for a new view of psychology and psychiatry, either for personal help or to follow the current state of the art. --
Copyright ©2000, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
