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Summary
Summary
Utilizing in-depth research and analysis, this volume debunks the quick fixes and simplistic explanations of Dr. Phil McGraw. While he's watched and revered by millions, no critique exists for his daytime advice--and like much of "pop psychology," his counsel is often ineffective, leaving people feeling like failures and that something is wrong with them. Readers will easily identify with the guests and stories from actual Dr. Phil episodes, on topics ranging from anger, sex, addictions, and dieting to domestic violence, race, and gender. A powerful, love-based alternative psychology is then offered, basing itself on the belief that there is profound meaning in people's struggles. Story after story shows how people's difficulties are seeds of their unique beauty, power, and intelligence, elevating rather than diminishing their esteem. The insight and compassion for people's humanity provided here cuts through the easy soundbites and will leave people feeling a genuine love for who they really are.
Author Notes
David Bedrick, J.D., Dipl. PW, spent eight years on the faculty of the University of Phoenix and taught in the Navy, at 3M, the American Society of Training and Development, the Profess Work Institute, psychological associations, and small groups focusing on personal growth. He has received notable awards for teaching, employee development, and legal service to the community.
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Teacher, counselor, attorney, and organizational consultant Bedrick provides alternative approaches to mainstream psychology, using television personality Dr. Phil as a paradigm for all that is wrong with conventional methods. Bedrick advocates instead for a "love-based psychology," which "views people, including their disturbing feelings and behaviors, as a reflection of nature's diversity." This approach garners methods from many disciplines including process-oriented psychology, quantum physics, and Zen Buddhism. Bedrick explicates major topics in psychology including dieting, addiction, relationships, and gender roles. For each topic Bedrick uses an episode of Dr. Phil as an example and then demonstrates how his own methods would better resolve the situation. While Bedrick makes some salient points about the pitfalls of taking advice from the likes of Dr. Phil, his own anecdotes can be less convincing. The book is also rigidly structured around episodes of Dr. Phil-which proves initially a good gimmick, but eventually grows tiresome. Surely alternatives to the likes of Dr. Phil are needed, and some aspects of Bedrick's love-based psychology are indeed appealing. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Library Journal Review
Attorney, counselor, educator, and organizational consultant Bedrick explains an intriguing new approach to psychological treatment. His love-based psychology considers disturbed feelings and behaviors to be reflections of human diversity; he aims to help people find meaning and power in difficulty. This contrasts with his view of mainstream psychology's focus on correcting individuals' inadequacies or pathologies without helping them achieve deep, personal transformation. Bedrick compares the mainstream approach with his own methodology using various problems and issues raised in episodes of the Dr. Phil television show. Verdict While smartly presented and accessible to lay readers, Bedrick's discussion of his approach to psychological treatment is better suited to practicing professionals, though the author's lack of clinical credentials may lessen his authority among experts. The questionable integrity of the Dr. Phil show, including episodes in which psychic con men James Van Praagh and John Edward claimed they could talk to dead people and Dr. McGraw didn't challenge them, will enhance the level of scrutiny.-Dale Farris, Groves, TX (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
| Foreword | p. xiii |
| Introduction | p. xv |
| Part I Labeling, Lies, Judgment, and Anger | |
| Call Me Crazy: Is Psychology Making Us Sick? | p. 3 |
| Cocreating Dishonesty: Sex, Lies, and Psychology | p. 15 |
| In the Shadow of Our Judgments: Ethics and Psychology | p. 26 |
| Anger: Befriending the Beast | p. 37 |
| Part II Relationships | |
| Having It Out: Sustainable Alternatives to Compromise | p. 50 |
| Relationship Conflict: What's Gender Got to Do with It? | p. 61 |
| Rank Dynamics: The Anatomy of an Affair | p. 71 |
| Part III Diets and Body Image | |
| Married to Dieting: Banking on Failure | p. 82 |
| Dieting As an American Koan: Zen and the Art of Weight Loss | p. 93 |
| Can I Get a Witness? Taking a Stand against Assaults on Body Image | p. 101 |
| Part IV Addictions and Obsessions | |
| Substances As Allies: The Urge for Altered States | p. 108 |
| Making Me Over: Obsessing about Obsessions | p. 119 |
| Part V Diversity | |
| All Together Now: Appreciating Family Diversity | p. 132 |
| Passion through the Ages: Sex and Shame | p. 146 |
| Breaking It Down: Black Youths, Sports, and Education | p. 157 |
| Part VI Domestic Violence | |
| Don't We Look Happy? The Silence around Domestic Violence | p. 168 |
| Let Suffering Speak: Bearing Witness to Domestic Violence | p. 176 |
| Notes | p. 182 |
| Bibliography | p. 191 |
| Index | p. 198 |
