Therapy Culture: Cultivating Vulnerability in an Uncertain Age
by Frank Furedi
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Therapy Culture explores the powerful influence of therapeutic imperative in Anglo-American societies. In recent decades virtually every sphere of life has become subject to a new emotional culture. Professor Furedi suggests that the recent cultural turn toward the realm of the emotions coincides with a radical redefinition of personhood. Increasingly vulnerability is presented as the defining feature of people's psychology. Terms like people 'at risk', 'scarred for life' or 'emotional show more damage' evoke a unique sense of powerlessness. Furedi questions the widely accepted thesis that the therapeutic turn represents an enlightened shift towards emotions. He claims that therapeutic culture is primarily about imposing a new conformity through the management of people's emotions. Through framing the problem of everyday life through the prism of emotions, therapeutic culture incites people to feel powerless and ill. Drawing on developments in popular culture, political and social life, Furedi provides a path-breaking analysis of the therapeutic turn. show lessTags
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Author Information
38 Works 878 Members
Frank Furedi is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Kent, Canterbury. Author of more than 20 books, Furedi's studies have been devoted to an exploration of the cultural developments in Western societies. His research has been oriented towards the way that fear and uncertainty is managed by contemporary culture. Dr Furedi's studies show more on the problem of fear has run in parallel with his exploration of the problem of cultural authority and cultural conflict. show less
Common Knowledge
- First words
- These days, we live in a culture that takes emotions very seriously.
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- 69
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- (3.70)
- Languages
- English, Italian
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 8
- UPCs
- 1
