গল্প সমগ্র

Self help is now seriously big business. It's also having a big influence on all our lives - whether we're aware of it or not.

After several decades of huge growth in the industry, most of us believe without question that we should do more, be more, expect more. But given that we seem to be less happy than at any time in history, could it be that self help is actually counterproductive? Is it possible that self help is just messing with our minds?

It seems that in the quest for greater confidence, happiness, wealth, attractiveness and success, we've lost our ability to critically assess what we're being fed. Many of the 'undisputed truths' of self help have precious little scientific support, and some have a fair body of evidence against them.

In this brilliantly articulate pause for thought, Dr Stephen Briers takes a hard look at the casual psychologising of everyday life, exposing the science that has been swept under the self help carpet, and questions whether what's supposed to set us free is in fact providing the shackles on our lives.

Psychobabble eases the heavy burden of unrealistic expectation, gently suggests that some things need to be endured not fixed, and leaves us with the liberating possibility that we might be good enough just as we are.

Exposing the self-help myths that make us all more miserable. This is what your psychologist would really tell you-if he thought you could handle it!

This is the kick up the backside the self-help genre needs: an intelligent, provocative and thought-provoking expose of the modern myths that we're told make us happier, but in reality screw us up.