The therapeutic turn : how psychology altered Western culture / Ole Jacob Madsen.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

The consumer self -- Crisis of authority: Philip Rieff's critique of Freud's worldview -- Psychology and religions -- Psychology in crisis? -- The self-help culture -- Psychology and sports -- Psychology and neoliberalism -- The ethos of the psychology profession.

In what ways has psychology become more influential in Western society? In this book the author considers the notion of a "therapeutic turn" in Western culture, the tendency for psychology to permeate ever new spheres within society. This book evaluates the increasing prevalence of psychology in several areas of Western society: Western consumer culture, contemporary Christianity, self-help, sport and politics. The author proposes that there are problematic aspects to this development which are seldom recognised due to a widely held assumption that "the more psychology, the better for everyone". A recurring concern with psychological solutions is that they often provide individual solutions to structural problems. As a result, psychologists may be inadvertently increasing the burden on the shoulders of the people they are meant to help and, at the same time, our capacity to understand individual suffering in the light of major historical and political changes in society is becoming increasingly clouded. This book presents a critique of the influence of psychology within Western society. -- From publisher's website.