Sweet Suffering: Woman as Victim [Hardcover]

Natalie Shainess (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1984

"Why are so many women their own worst enemies? The answer is in this book- a book that could literally save lives. It belongs in the hands of every woman (and her name is legion) who feels she is always being stepped on by others, is always being put down, ignored or abused. Such a woman feeling that she is somehow a born victim suffers, in fact because she is locked into a pattern of inflicting psychic pain on herself. Submiting always to the will and whim of others, she perpetuates her own misery by living in fear that she would some how offend if she tried to stand up for herself. Such torment we now know is self imposed a masochist metes out her own punishment. Pointing no finger of blame, Dr. Natalie shainess, who is this country's foremost authority on masochism explains why no woman in our culture escapes masochism altogether. A searching but easy to take questionnair allows you to discover to what degree you yourslef may have the problem." This excerpt is taken from the dust jacket.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 263 pages
• Publisher: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Inc.; First Edition edition (May 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0672527669
• ISBN-13: 978-0672527661
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #658,809 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helpful and Hurting: A More Current View of Masochism, January 11, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Sweet Suffering: Woman As Victim (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a well-written, informative, supportive must-have for those who have suffered in the role of "People Pleaser." Prior to this piece, everyone thought masochists were sex-starved self-mutilators whose only focus was physical gratification. No more! Shainess creates a haven for those who just want to be loved, appreciated, and nurtured. After all, they've always tried to attain this by being "everything" to others.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I was stuck..., August 5, 2003

By 

Suzanne (Arizona) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sweet Suffering: Woman as Victim (Hardcover)

Stuck in a vicious cycle of choosing a life of caos, not realizing I had a choice. This book gave me tools to start my healing process right! I read it and used it when I was about 27 years old. That was 19 years ago and I still use it's concepts. My mother also read it with me. She loved it too. Now I am ordering it for my daughter.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helped me immeasurably, September 5, 2006

By 

Gail Martin (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sweet Suffering: Woman as Victim (Hardcover)

I read this book when I was 18, and it really had an impact on me. I'd been stuck in a pattern of apologizing for and insulting myself, thinking that putting myself down would ... I don't know what I was thinking it would do... make people like me more? Irrational, I know. I read "Sweet Suffering" and learned how to expect better from myself and others. I remember my turnaround being astounding.

The measure of Shainess' success is that when I read this book now I cannot recognize myself anywhere in it, though I know I once did.

If you find yourself trapped in negative thought patterns, diminishing yourself and letting others diminish you, give this book a try. It helped me.