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Editorial Reviews
From Scientific American
The genre of psychological self-help books has grown tremendously, and authors such as Dr. Phil (McGraw), Wayne Dyer and John Gray are repeat visitors to the best-seller lists. Such popularity poses a paradox, though: If the books really worked, why would readers need to keep buying them? In the erudite yet lively Fool’s Paradise, literary scholar Stewart Justman argues that pop psychology texts are ineffective because, among other things, they encourage people to hyperfocus on their own emotional states. He approvingly cites philosopher John Stuart Mill’s maxim: "Ask yourself whether you are happy, and you cease to be so." Justman, professor of liberal studies at the University of Montana, offers a severe and mostly persuasive critique of pop psychology print media rather than of radio and television. Quoting liberally from books that purport to give life-changing advice, he castigates the field for offering unrealistic expectations of self-transformation, for dogmatic tone, and for dubious doctrines such as honoring one’s "authentic self" by discarding feelings of obligation and morality. Along the way Justman points out some monumental ironies, such as authors’ demands that readers reject other people’s demands. He likewise notes that although the literature is unoriginal and repetitious, it instructs readers to make a sharp break with the past. Pop psychology, according to Justman, is a "utopian enterprise" inspired by the protest movements of the 1960s and early 1970s. Although this interpretation has some merit, one could argue that pop psychology marked a turn away from political activism into self-absorption. Similarly, Justman’s assertion that pop psychology derides most guilt but welcomes "liberal guilt" over historical injustices seems to overstate the politics of a genre that is largely apolitical. Less disputable, however, is that most of the manuals are badly written. The literature is rife with supposed success stories about people overcoming negative emotions and behaviors—many of which are suspiciously sketchy and formulaic. Loose or out-of-context quotations from serious literary and philosophical works are another ill staple of the genre, as when self-help authors celebrate the Shakespearean line "To thine own self be true," mouthed by the questionable character of Polonius in Hamlet. As Justman writes, pop psychology’s many practitioners may include "a few who do not subscribe to the dubious doctrines probed here." Still, citing more than 40 guidebooks, he shows that the fi eld’s problems are serious indeed. (390)
Kenneth Silber
Review
"'Fool’s Paradise' is indeed a learned book." -- Bradley Kreit, California Literary Review
"A humane, literate psychologist and social critic, Justman ... talks about utopianism and rhetoric, guiding readers past the trivial and dangerous." --E. James Lieberman, Library Journal, February 23, 2009
"An intriguing look at popular psychology." -- Forecast
"Excellent cautionary reading.... Justman delivers a sustained, entertaining attack on self-help's claims, conventions, and contradiction." -- Janet Ingraham Dwyer, Library Journal
"If you’ve been hoping for a brutally rational answer to Iyanla et al, look no further." -- Ruminator
"Provides a passionate examination of its foundations and dangers." -- Diane C. Donovan, Midwest Book Review
Erudite yet lively. -- Kenneth Silber in Scientific American Mind
Justman exposes successfully the shallowness of pop psychology theory. -- Lennar Sjoberg in American Psychological Association
Pop psychology has been unmasked before, but English professor Stewart Justman provides a fresh critical angle. -- David J. Pittenger in University of Tennessee
"A humane, literate psychologist and social critic, Justman ... talks about utopianism and rhetoric, guiding readers past the trivial and dangerous." --E. James Lieberman, Library Journal, February 23, 2009
"An intriguing look at popular psychology." -- Forecast
"Excellent cautionary reading.... Justman delivers a sustained, entertaining attack on self-help's claims, conventions, and contradiction." -- Janet Ingraham Dwyer, Library Journal
"If you’ve been hoping for a brutally rational answer to Iyanla et al, look no further." -- Ruminator
"Provides a passionate examination of its foundations and dangers." -- Diane C. Donovan, Midwest Book Review
Erudite yet lively. -- Kenneth Silber in Scientific American Mind
Justman exposes successfully the shallowness of pop psychology theory. -- Lennar Sjoberg in American Psychological Association
Pop psychology has been unmasked before, but English professor Stewart Justman provides a fresh critical angle. -- David J. Pittenger in University of Tennessee
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Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Inside This Book
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs):
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pop psychology movement, genuine sum, liberal guilt, pop psychologists, therapeutic movement, own strings Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Wayne Dyer, Charles Reich, Ivan Ilych, Martin Luther King, Pulling Your Own Strings, Stephen Covey, John Stuart Mill, Theodore Rubin, Scott Peck, Iris Murdoch, United States, John Gray, More's Utopia, The Portable Therapist, The Road Less Traveled, Tubby Passmore, Abraham Maslow, Canterbury Tales, Golden Rule, Grand Inquisitor, Mary Wollstonecraft, Self Matters, The Color Purple, Adam Smith, Midsummer Night's Dream New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
pop psychology movement, genuine sum, liberal guilt, pop psychologists, therapeutic movement, own strings Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Wayne Dyer, Charles Reich, Ivan Ilych, Martin Luther King, Pulling Your Own Strings, Stephen Covey, John Stuart Mill, Theodore Rubin, Scott Peck, Iris Murdoch, United States, John Gray, More's Utopia, The Portable Therapist, The Road Less Traveled, Tubby Passmore, Abraham Maslow, Canterbury Tales, Golden Rule, Grand Inquisitor, Mary Wollstonecraft, Self Matters, The Color Purple, Adam Smith, Midsummer Night's Dream New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 100
books:
See all 100 books this book cites
- Pulling Your Own Strings: Dynamic Techniques for Dealing with Other People and Living Your Life as You Choose by Wayne W. Dyer on 9 pages
- Your Erroneous Zones by Wayne W. Dyer on 6 pages
- News from Nowhere and Other Writings (Penguin Classics) by William Morris on 5 pages
- Reviving Ophelia by Mary Pipher Ph.D. on 5 pages
- Women and Economics by Charlotte Perkins [Stetson] Gilman on 4 pages
See all 100 books this book cites
What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?
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57% buy the item featured on this page: Fool's Paradise: The Unreal World of Pop Psychology $22.00 |
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29% buy Sham: How the Self-Help Movement Made America Helpless $9.98 |
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6% buy Self Help, Inc.: Makeover Culture in American Life $27.00 |
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4% buy One Nation Under Therapy: How the Helping Culture Is Eroding Self-Reliance $14.39 |
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