- Paperback: 340 pages
- Publisher: Flamingo; (Reissue) edition (23 July 1992)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0006373879
- ISBN-13: 978-0006373872
- Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 13.2 x 3.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 129,940 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Product Description
In this book the author suggests that the techniques and aims of psychotherapy are open to abuse. He regards it as self-evident that the therapist makes demands on the patient that cannot be fulfilled and that the financial exigencies of the relationship are open to corruption. Masson sets out to show that "abuse of one form or another is built into the very fabric of psychotherapy", that "it is the nature of therapy to distort another person's reality" and that since it is the therapist's task to change people this can only be done according to the therapists' own notions and prejudices, so the psychological process is necessarily corrupt. The author delves into the practices of many well-known therapists. Beginning with cases from the 19th century when patients could be incarcerated while patently sane, he goes on to attack Jung as well as practitioners like Fritz Perls and Carl Rogers, attempting to demonstrate that whether the approach is confrontational or sympathetic, a benign despotism is not better than a malign one. Masson has also written "The Assault on Truth: Freud's Suppression of the Seduction Theory", "The Oceanic Feeling: The Origins of Religious Sentiment in Ancient India", "A Dark Science: Women, Sexuality and Psychiatry in the Nineteenth Century" and "The Complete Letters of Sigmund Freud to Wilhelm Fliess, 1887-1904".
From the Back Cover
In this ground-breaking and highly controversial book, Jeffrey Masson attacks the very foundations of modern psychotherapy from Freud to Jung, Fritz Perls to Carl Rogers. With passion and clarity, 'Against Therapy' addresses the profession's core weaknesses, contending that, since therapy's aim is to change people, and this is achieved according to therapists' own notions and prejudices, the psychological process is necessarily corrupt. With a foreword by the eminent British psychologist Dorothy Rowe, this cogent and convincing book has shattering implications for the world of psychotherapy today.
"A dynamic attack on one of the century's great creeds"
SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
"A brilliant and courageous expose of the damage that unavoidably occurs in the name of 'psychotherapy'…essential reading"
MIKE LAWSON, Vice-Chairman, 'Mind'
"Clear and demystifying…we have much to thank Masson for"
NIGELLA LAWSON, 'Guardian'
"'Against Therapy' is a humane, insightful, and amazingly gentle argument. Masson's commitment to human dignity suffuses every part of his thesis"
ANDREA DWORKIN
"A guru against gurus"
D M THOMAS, 'Observer'
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I'm a trainnee counsellor and bought this book due to it being mentioned in my course regularly as being a famous critique of therapy. What I really liked about it was that it opened my eyes more in the sense of cases he cites of the mental health field being abusive to its' clients. It also provided some shocking evidence that Carl Jung couldve been a Nazi sympathiser, although other evidence does seem to make this more inconclusive. It also picks some interesting holes in theories and how they may not be useful or indeed very damaging. As the title suggests, the book is against therapy.
What I can't take on board though and what I know from reading around therapy that generally isn't taken on board from Massan's work is that the solution is to totally abolish therapy and make some warm friendship groups as a possible solution. This conclusion is quite insulting to people who have genuine issues which cannot be accommodated merely by talking to friends. Professionals are clearly needed and what myself and my colleagues call for is for the counselling field to be more regulated. It is at points but at other times isn't which could allow for potential abuse.
There are several counselling charities around, not to mention my current working for the NHS which are highly regulated and supervised to constantly do what is best for the client.(although Massan would argue we're not actually doing best for the client). Also some of his claims such as in UK on counselling course you don't have to have your own personal therapy simply are not true. Most courses actually require counsellors to have their own therapy for about 50 hours. Not only that but within the course there are groups which you are expected to make a good contribution to pass.
Also, what I feel is very important to say is whereas the abusive cases he sites are no doubt really important and make me say how it should be regulated. I would like to say that they are so so far removed from either my experience or anyone I've known. Most people I know who have had counselling (and I know a lot) see it as a very rewarding experience and not only that but very difficult to go through and commendable to go through and as result of which can have relationships and live a life which before wouldnt of been possible. Some people including myself see having counselling and the best thing theyve ever done for themselves.
Counselling charities which I worked for provides an invaluable service to people in need of someone to speak to. This has very professional training and supervised counselling. So I would say it is well worth a look but read a lot around it. It contains some useful interesting insights for sure and obviously the abuse is so important but as stated earlier very few people agree with what his conclusion is.
What I can't take on board though and what I know from reading around therapy that generally isn't taken on board from Massan's work is that the solution is to totally abolish therapy and make some warm friendship groups as a possible solution. This conclusion is quite insulting to people who have genuine issues which cannot be accommodated merely by talking to friends. Professionals are clearly needed and what myself and my colleagues call for is for the counselling field to be more regulated. It is at points but at other times isn't which could allow for potential abuse.
There are several counselling charities around, not to mention my current working for the NHS which are highly regulated and supervised to constantly do what is best for the client.(although Massan would argue we're not actually doing best for the client). Also some of his claims such as in UK on counselling course you don't have to have your own personal therapy simply are not true. Most courses actually require counsellors to have their own therapy for about 50 hours. Not only that but within the course there are groups which you are expected to make a good contribution to pass.
Also, what I feel is very important to say is whereas the abusive cases he sites are no doubt really important and make me say how it should be regulated. I would like to say that they are so so far removed from either my experience or anyone I've known. Most people I know who have had counselling (and I know a lot) see it as a very rewarding experience and not only that but very difficult to go through and commendable to go through and as result of which can have relationships and live a life which before wouldnt of been possible. Some people including myself see having counselling and the best thing theyve ever done for themselves.
Counselling charities which I worked for provides an invaluable service to people in need of someone to speak to. This has very professional training and supervised counselling. So I would say it is well worth a look but read a lot around it. It contains some useful interesting insights for sure and obviously the abuse is so important but as stated earlier very few people agree with what his conclusion is.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
intensive research led opinion on therapy/psychiatric intervention over the last hundred years - quite one sided. no quarter given regarding the well documented cases of help offered by therapy for distraught incongruent human beings. we cannot fix the human condition as masson suggests we should via social policies. are we to abandon those who fall by the roadside in the meantime.no realistic alternative offered here. none the less a good read.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Had a brief read but not that impressed.
Bit of a fascist approach and at times seems to bring in the personal beliefs of Freud and Jung into their work too much. Maybe just because I'm not a freudian thinker when it comes to therapy which Jeffreys is trying to specifically attack but in this process fails to address all other forms of psychotherapy that do not have a psychodynamic foundation.
Bit of a fascist approach and at times seems to bring in the personal beliefs of Freud and Jung into their work too much. Maybe just because I'm not a freudian thinker when it comes to therapy which Jeffreys is trying to specifically attack but in this process fails to address all other forms of psychotherapy that do not have a psychodynamic foundation.
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