Americans have traditionally placed great value on self-reliance and fortitude. Recent decades, however, have seen the rise of a therapeutic ethic that views Americans as emotionally underdeveloped, requiring the ministrations of mental health professionals to cope with life’s vicissitudes. Today, having a book for every ailment, a counselor for every crisis, a lawsuit for every grievance, and a TV show for every problem degrades one’s native ability to cope with life’s challenges.
Drawing on established science and common sense, the authors reveal how “therapism” and the burgeoning trauma industry have come to pervade our lives. Topical, provocative, and wryly amusing, One Nation under Therapy demonstrates that “talking about” problems is no substitute for confronting them.
Christina Hoff Sommers has a PhD in philosophy from Brandeis University and was a professor of philosophy at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts. She has written for such publications as the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and the Washington Post. She is the author of Who Stole Feminism? How Women Have Betrayed Women. She is married, has two sons and lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland.
Sally Satel, MD, a practicing psychiatrist and lecturer at the Yale University School of Medicine, is the author of PC, M.D.: How Political Correctness Is Corrupting Medicine, The Health Disparities Myth, When Altruism Isn’t Enough: The Case for Compensating Organ Donors, and One Nation Under Therapy, which she coauthored with Christina Hoff Sommers.
Dianna Dorman is a stage and film actor, voice-over artist, and has been a narrator for the Texas Talking Book Program for almost two decades and for several commercial publishing companies. She particularly enjoys narrating historical fiction, mystery, fantasy, and comedy stories. Her onstage work has included the roles of the pirate Ben Gunn in Treasure Island, and Mrs. Chasen in Harold and Maude. She lives in Austin, Texas, where she teaches “Mad Science” and is a docent of the Texas Governor’s Mansion.