The Secret Meaning of Money: How It Binds Together Families in Love, Envy, Compassion or Anger [Hardcover]

Cloé Madanes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 20, 1994

Breaks the silence about the power money holds over family life

Internationally known psychologist Cloe Madanes and writer Claudio Madanes present a revolutionary view of the role money plays in families. In dozens of stories, anecdotes, and case histories, they show how family members all use money in covert ways that express desires, struggles for power, and yearning for commitment. To prevent money issues from destroying relationships, the authors present an extraordinary problem-solving technique that uses money to restore and heal family relationships.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

An underlying theme in literature--from timeless classics to long-forgotten potboilers--and in much of today's popular biography and mass-market family drama is the power of money to manipulate, seduce, control, or corrupt others. But barely an armful of books have been written that explicitly discuss the psychological aspects of money and its effect on relationships. Clo{‚}e Madanes, who directs the Family Therapy Institute in Washington, D.C., and wrote Strategic Family Therapy (1981), utilizes anecdote and observation to demonstrate how money and the way it is used can be either the cause or the symptom of problems in interpersonal relationships. She focuses on relations between parent and child, young couples, divorced couples, and siblings. She also contrasts how the role of money in relationships changes from youth to middle age to older years and distinguishes between problems of wealth and those of poverty. Finally, Madanes suggests guidelines for using money effectively that she says will improve relationships. David Rouse

Review

"A treasure chest of wisdom about the touchiest and most explosive topic of family life. Pure gold!'' (Frank S. Pittman III, M.D., author of Man Enough: Fathers, Sons and the Search for Masculinity)

"Overspending is a common dysfunction among couples, and the Madanes have some unorthodox but effective possible solutions." (Dallas Morning News)

"Don't let the small size and easy readability of this book fool you. Its message is concentrated: It is possible to have both money and love." (The Psychotherapy Letter)

"Overspending is a common dysfunction among couples, and the Madanes have some unorthodox but effective possible solutions." (Dallas Morning News) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 195 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass Publishers; 1st edition (September 20, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555427014
• ISBN-13: 978-1555427016
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #567,745 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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