One Nation Under Therapy: How the Helping Culture Is Eroding Self-Reliance

Americans have traditionally placed great value on self-reliance and fortitude. In recent decades, however, we have seen the rise of an ethic that views Americans as requiring the ministrations of mental health professionals to cope with life's vicissitudes. Being "in touch with one's feelings" and freely expressing them have become paramount virtues. Today, with a book for every ailment, a counselor for every crisis, a lawsuit for every grievance, and a TV show for every conceivable problem, "help" is offered everywhere, but with it come troubling consequences, including: the myth of stressed-out, homework-burdened, hypercompetitive, and depressed or suicidal schoolchildren; the loss of moral bearings in our approach to lying, crime, addiction, and other foibles and vices; the expansion of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder from an affliction of war veterans to nearly everyone who has experienced a setback.--From publisher description.… (more)