A Disease of One's Own: Psychotherapy, Addiction and the Emergence of Co-dependency - Softcover

John Steadman Rice

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0765804549 ISBN 13: 9780765804549

Publisher: Routledge, 1998

Synopsis

In the present decade, "co-dependency" has sprung up on the landscape of American popular culture. Portrayed as an addiction-like disease responsible for a wide range of personal and social problems, co-dependency spawned a veritable social movement nationwide. A Disease of One's Own examines the phenomenon of co-dependency from a sociological perspective, viewing it not as something a person "has," but as something a person believes; not as a psychological disease, but as a belief system that offers its adherents a particular way of talking about the self and social relationships.

The central question addressed by the book is: Why did co-dependency—one among a plethora of already-existing discourses on self-help—meet with such widespread public appeal? Grounded in theories of cultural and social change, John Steadman Rice argues that this question can only be adequately addressed by examining the social, cultural, and historical context in which co-dependency was created and found a receptive public; the content of the ideas it espoused; and the practical uses to which co-dependency's adherents could apply those ideas in their everyday lives.

In terms of the larger American context, his analysis links the emergence of co-dependency with the permeation of psychological concepts and explanations throughout Western culture over the past thirty years, focusing particularly on the cultural and social impact of the popular acceptance of what the author calls "liberation psychotherapy." Liberation psychotherapy portrays the relationship between self and society as one of intrinsic antagonism, and argues that psychological health is inversely related to the self's accommodation to social expectations.

Rice argues that a principal source of co-dependency's appeal is that it affirms core premises of liberation psychotherapy, thereby espousing an increasingly conventional and familiar wisdom. It simultaneously fuses those premises with addiction-related discourse, providing people with a means of making sense of the problems of relationship and identity that have accompanied what Rice terms the "psychologization" of American life. This brilliant analysis of the phenomenon of co-dependency will be of interest to psychologists, sociologists, psychotherapists, and those interested in American popular culture.

About this title

About the Author:

John Steadman Rice is assistant professor of sociology at Boston University. This is his first book.

Review:

“Rice provides a critical and provocative evaluation of the codependency movement, which has attracted millions of adherents... The author's central premise is that codependency as a basis for a system of therapy is the product of a cultural transformation in which imposed requirements for selfless behavior by the family, school, and church are being rejected... His ideas are organized, clearly stated, and show sophisticated insights into how such a movement evolved.”

—W. P. Anderson, Choice

“[Rice’s] agile use of language and his ability to present an analysis without resorting to either apologetics or invective make the book a pleasure to read. . . . Rice has written a book that takes codependency seriously and analyzes transformations in discourse.”

—Charles Derber, Contemporary Sociology

“John Rice, rather than coming to praise or defend co-dependency, actually tries to understand its appeal. The result is a clear-headed example of a sociological investigation as it is supposed to be. A Disease of One’s Own is a book well worth reading.”

—Alan Wolfe, professor of sociology, Boston University

 “In A Disease of One’s Own, Rice offers a penetrating, insightful, and profound analysis of the co-dependency movement. We not only learn much about the nature, emergence and consequences of this important stream of popular “liberation psychotherapy” but about American culture generally, in its abiding romance with therapeutic self-help. This is an outstanding work, one demonstrating originality, careful analysis and deep theoretical and moral reflection. It fully merits a place alongside the great works of Phillip Rieff and Christopher Lasch.”

—James Davison Hunter, Kenan Professor of Sociology, University of Virginia

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0765804549
• ISBN 13: 9780765804549
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 262