I'm Dysfunctional, You're Dysfunctional
Encyclopedia
I'm Dysfunctional, You're Dysfunctional: The Recovery Movement and Other Self-Help Fashions is a non-fiction
book about the self-help
industry, written by Wendy Kaminer
. The book was first published in a hardcover format in 1992 by Addison-Wesley
, and again in a paperback format in 1993, by Vintage Books
.
movement, and focuses criticism on other books on the subject matter, including topics of codependency and twelve-step program
s. The author addresses the social implications of a society engaged in these types of solutions to their problems, and argues that they foster passivity, social isolation, and attitudes contrary to democracy
. Of the self-help movement, Kaminer writes: "At its worst, the recovery movement's cult of victimization mocks the notion of social justice by denying that there are degrees of injustice." Kaminer also criticizes the lack of a free-forum for debate and reasoning within these groups, noting that those who disagree with the tenets of the organization are immediately branded "in denial", similar to the way a fundamentalist might characterize a free-thinker as a heretic
. Kaminer gives a deconstruction of the history and methodology of some of these groups, which are depicted in the book as simplistic and narcissistic. She blames New Age
thinking for encouraging "psychologies of victimization." She explains a two-step process used to write a popular self-help book: First, "Promote the prevailing preoccupation of the time," (either health or wealth) and then "Package platitudes about positive thinking, prayer or affirmation therapy as sure-fire, scientific techniques." Kaminer maintains that self-help has negative effects on both politics
and personal development
.
Kaminer acknowledges that there are those who have real problems and receive benefit from groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous
, but she also "picks apart the tenets of the recovery religion – for she sees striking parallels with religious fundamentalism." In addition to Alcoholics Anonymous and the codependency movement, other books and self-help movements critiqued in the book include Norman Vincent Peale
's 1952 book The Power of Positive Thinking and Werner Erhard
's Erhard Seminars Training
"est" organization. The writings of Mary Baker Eddy
, and Napoleon Hill
's Think and Grow Rich
are also analyzed and critiqued. Though Kaminer "ridiculed the excesses of self-help psychology and theology," she approved of the motivational work done by Rabbi
Harold Kushner
. Kaminer criticized the effect that talk show
s have on American society, and recounted how a producer for the Oprah Winfrey Show coached participants to "jump in" and interrupt each other on the show. Kaminer writes that it is not the content that appears on talk shows that is the problem, but rather that "they claim to do so much more than entertain; they claim to inform and explain. They dominate the mass marketplace and make it one that is inimical to ideas." At the time of the book's publication, Kaminer cited a statistic from industry sources asserting that ninety-six percent of the population in the United States
were victims of codependency and warped family upbringing.
, where it was described as: "A distinctive and highly recommended title," and compared to Alternative Titles and Making Room for the Recovery Boom. A review in the Times Union called I'm Dysfunctional, You're Dysfunctional a "keenly perceptive book," and wrote: "Wendy Kaminer has written a book that is reasoned, analytical, insightful, and filled with original thought – in short, everything the recovery movement is not." An article in the Los Angeles Times
noted that the choice of title for the book: "expresses Kaminer's contempt for the recovery movement," but criticized the movement without offering solutions. Michiko Kakutani of The New York Times
described the book as "a terrifically witty, intelligent and cogent assessment of the recovery movement and its implications for American society at large." The Houston Chronicle called the book "smartly ironic," and noted that Kaminer "offered up the recovery movement with its penchant for self-help and public confession as a prime example of irrationality."
Johnson's On Being a Mentor called the work "a popular spoof of the self-help book craze." In Jon Winokur's Encyclopedia Neurotica, he cites Kaminer's book for a definition of the term "recovery movement." Yardley's Monday Morning Quarterback called the work a "send-up of pop psychology," and Algernon Austin's Achieving Blackness called it an "anti-pop psychology book." In his book Coming Home Again, Geoffrey S. Proehl wrote that Kaminer's work belonged within a "critique of American sentimentalism," placing it within the same context as Leslie Fiedler
's Love, Death and the American Novel, and Ann Douglas's The Feminization of American Culture. In A Disease of One's Own, John Steadman Rice criticized Kaminer for using the term "recovery movement" in ways that "artificially lump new twelve-step groups, such as Co-Dependents Anonymous, together with established groups like Alcoholics Anonymous." Kaminer herself was criticized as a result of the book, with some labeling her "in deep denial," or "part of the backlash." In her book Diseases of the Will, Mariana Valverde described some of the arguments put forth in the book as "a clever polemic against recovery from the point of view of an enlightened rationalism." In Linda Farris Kurtz's Self-Help and Support Groups, she described the book as "a wide-ranging but somewhat unbalanced critique of recovery groups and recovery literature." Robert H. Vasoli's What God Has Joined Together characterized the work as "a lurid and incisive critique."
The book was highlighted among The New York Times' "Notable Books of the Year 1992," where it was described as: "a witty, occasionally harsh account of people who call their troubles diseases and blame other people for them." I'm Dysfunctional, You're Dysfunctional has later been cited by other books that also criticize the self-help movement. In his 2005 book, Sham: How The Self-Help Movement Made America Helpless, author Steve Salerno cites Kaminer while critiquing the effects of victimization on American culture.
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
book about the self-help
Self-help
Self-help, or self-improvement, is a self-guided improvement—economically, intellectually, or emotionally—often with a substantial psychological basis. There are many different self-help movements and each has its own focus, techniques, associated beliefs, proponents and in some cases, leaders...
industry, written by Wendy Kaminer
Wendy Kaminer
Wendy Kaminer is a lawyer and writer. She has written several books on contemporary social issues, including A Fearful Freedom: Women's Flight From Equality, about the conflict between egalitarian and protectionist feminism; I'm Dysfunctional, You're Dysfunctional: The Recovery Movement and Other...
. The book was first published in a hardcover format in 1992 by Addison-Wesley
Addison-Wesley
Addison-Wesley was a book publisher in Boston, Massachusetts, best known for its textbooks and computer literature. As well as publishing books, Addison-Wesley also distributed its technical titles through the Safari Books Online e-reference service...
, and again in a paperback format in 1993, by Vintage Books
Vintage Books
Vintage Books is a publishing imprint founded in 1954 by Alfred A. Knopf. Its publishing list includes world literature, fiction, and non-fiction...
.
Content
The book is a strong critique of the self-helpSelf-help
Self-help, or self-improvement, is a self-guided improvement—economically, intellectually, or emotionally—often with a substantial psychological basis. There are many different self-help movements and each has its own focus, techniques, associated beliefs, proponents and in some cases, leaders...
movement, and focuses criticism on other books on the subject matter, including topics of codependency and twelve-step program
Twelve-step program
A Twelve-Step Program is a set of guiding principles outlining a course of action for recovery from addiction, compulsion, or other behavioral problems...
s. The author addresses the social implications of a society engaged in these types of solutions to their problems, and argues that they foster passivity, social isolation, and attitudes contrary to democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
. Of the self-help movement, Kaminer writes: "At its worst, the recovery movement's cult of victimization mocks the notion of social justice by denying that there are degrees of injustice." Kaminer also criticizes the lack of a free-forum for debate and reasoning within these groups, noting that those who disagree with the tenets of the organization are immediately branded "in denial", similar to the way a fundamentalist might characterize a free-thinker as a heretic
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
. Kaminer gives a deconstruction of the history and methodology of some of these groups, which are depicted in the book as simplistic and narcissistic. She blames New Age
New Age
The New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
thinking for encouraging "psychologies of victimization." She explains a two-step process used to write a popular self-help book: First, "Promote the prevailing preoccupation of the time," (either health or wealth) and then "Package platitudes about positive thinking, prayer or affirmation therapy as sure-fire, scientific techniques." Kaminer maintains that self-help has negative effects on both politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
and personal development
Personal development
Personal development includes activities that improve awareness and identity, develop talents and potential, build human capital and facilitates employability, enhance quality of life and contribute to the realization of dreams and aspirations...
.
Kaminer acknowledges that there are those who have real problems and receive benefit from groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
, but she also "picks apart the tenets of the recovery religion – for she sees striking parallels with religious fundamentalism." In addition to Alcoholics Anonymous and the codependency movement, other books and self-help movements critiqued in the book include Norman Vincent Peale
Norman Vincent Peale
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale was a minister and author and a progenitor of the theory of "positive thinking".-Early life and education:...
's 1952 book The Power of Positive Thinking and Werner Erhard
Werner Erhard
Werner Hans Erhard is an author of transformational models and applications for individuals, groups, and organizations...
's Erhard Seminars Training
Erhard Seminars Training
Erhard Seminars Training, an organization founded by Werner H. Erhard, offered a two-weekend course known officially as "The est Standard Training"...
"est" organization. The writings of Mary Baker Eddy
Mary Baker Eddy
Mary Baker Eddy was the founder of Christian Science , a Protestant American system of religious thought and practice religion adopted by the Church of Christ, Scientist, and others...
, and Napoleon Hill
Napoleon Hill
Napoleon Hill was an American author who was one of the earliest producers of the modern genre of personal-success literature. He is widely considered to be one of the great writers on success...
's Think and Grow Rich
Think and Grow Rich
Think and Grow Rich is a motivational personal development and self-help book written by Napoleon Hill and inspired by a suggestion from Scottish-American businessman Andrew Carnegie...
are also analyzed and critiqued. Though Kaminer "ridiculed the excesses of self-help psychology and theology," she approved of the motivational work done by Rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
Harold Kushner
Harold Kushner
Rabbi Harold Samuel Kushner is a prominent American rabbi aligned with the progressive wing of Conservative Judaism, and a popular author.- Education :...
. Kaminer criticized the effect that talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
s have on American society, and recounted how a producer for the Oprah Winfrey Show coached participants to "jump in" and interrupt each other on the show. Kaminer writes that it is not the content that appears on talk shows that is the problem, but rather that "they claim to do so much more than entertain; they claim to inform and explain. They dominate the mass marketplace and make it one that is inimical to ideas." At the time of the book's publication, Kaminer cited a statistic from industry sources asserting that ninety-six percent of the population in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
were victims of codependency and warped family upbringing.
Reception
The book received a favorable review in Library JournalLibrary Journal
Library Journal is a trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey . It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional practice...
, where it was described as: "A distinctive and highly recommended title," and compared to Alternative Titles and Making Room for the Recovery Boom. A review in the Times Union called I'm Dysfunctional, You're Dysfunctional a "keenly perceptive book," and wrote: "Wendy Kaminer has written a book that is reasoned, analytical, insightful, and filled with original thought – in short, everything the recovery movement is not." An article in the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
noted that the choice of title for the book: "expresses Kaminer's contempt for the recovery movement," but criticized the movement without offering solutions. Michiko Kakutani of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
described the book as "a terrifically witty, intelligent and cogent assessment of the recovery movement and its implications for American society at large." The Houston Chronicle called the book "smartly ironic," and noted that Kaminer "offered up the recovery movement with its penchant for self-help and public confession as a prime example of irrationality."
Johnson's On Being a Mentor called the work "a popular spoof of the self-help book craze." In Jon Winokur's Encyclopedia Neurotica, he cites Kaminer's book for a definition of the term "recovery movement." Yardley's Monday Morning Quarterback called the work a "send-up of pop psychology," and Algernon Austin's Achieving Blackness called it an "anti-pop psychology book." In his book Coming Home Again, Geoffrey S. Proehl wrote that Kaminer's work belonged within a "critique of American sentimentalism," placing it within the same context as Leslie Fiedler
Leslie Fiedler
Leslie Aaron Fiedler was a Jewish-American literary critic, known for his interest in mythography and his championing of genre fiction. His work also involves application of psychological theories to American literature. He was in practical terms one of the early postmodernist critics working...
's Love, Death and the American Novel, and Ann Douglas's The Feminization of American Culture. In A Disease of One's Own, John Steadman Rice criticized Kaminer for using the term "recovery movement" in ways that "artificially lump new twelve-step groups, such as Co-Dependents Anonymous, together with established groups like Alcoholics Anonymous." Kaminer herself was criticized as a result of the book, with some labeling her "in deep denial," or "part of the backlash." In her book Diseases of the Will, Mariana Valverde described some of the arguments put forth in the book as "a clever polemic against recovery from the point of view of an enlightened rationalism." In Linda Farris Kurtz's Self-Help and Support Groups, she described the book as "a wide-ranging but somewhat unbalanced critique of recovery groups and recovery literature." Robert H. Vasoli's What God Has Joined Together characterized the work as "a lurid and incisive critique."
The book was highlighted among The New York Times
See also
- New AgeNew AgeThe New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
- Folk psychologyFolk psychologyFolk psychology is the set of assumptions, constructs, and convictions that makes up the everyday language in which people discuss human psychology...
- Popular psychologyPopular psychologyThe term popular psychology refers to concepts and theories about human mental life and behavior that are purportedly based on psychology and that attain popularity among the general population...
- Propositional attitudePropositional attitudeA propositional attitude is a relational mental state connecting a person to a proposition. They are often assumed to be the simplest components of thought and can express meanings or content that can be true or false...
- PsychobabblePsychobabblePsychobabble is a form of prose using jargon, buzzwords and highly esoteric language to give an impression of plausibility through mystification, misdirection, and obfuscation. The term implies that the speaker of psychobabble lacks the experience and understanding necessary for proper use of a...
- Self-helpSelf-helpSelf-help, or self-improvement, is a self-guided improvement—economically, intellectually, or emotionally—often with a substantial psychological basis. There are many different self-help movements and each has its own focus, techniques, associated beliefs, proponents and in some cases, leaders...