In this issue
Features
The delusion of positive thinking
Positive thinking has become our ideology听but it is as erroneous and dangerous as听negative thinking; we need to learn to see听reality for what it is
Life after birth
A recent survey showed that 52 per cent听of mothers suffer with postnatal illness听but the stresses felt by modern mums may听be very different from previous generations
Children at risk: a confidential space?
There is now a strong legal and ethical听case for therapists working with children听and young people to maintain high levels听of confidentiality
The net generation
Technology is becoming more and more听a part of everyday life and as it develops,听so does the potential for its use in therapy
The challenge of multi-agency work
How has multi-agency practice changed听in the last 10 years and how is it benefiting听children and young people?
Regulars
In practice
Kevin Chandler: S-under supervision
In the client's chair
Emma Munro: Spiritual awakening
In training
Martin Halifax: Feel the fear...
Questionnaire
Tim Bond
Day in the life
Salma Khalid: Embracing spirituality
The art of coaching
Linda Aspey
Not all articles from this issue are available online. Members and subscribers can download the pdf from the听Therapy Today听archive.
Editorial
I must confess to having been quite taken听with the whole idea of positive thinking over听the last few years. I attended a talk by Martin听Seligman, the founder of positive psychology,听took myself off to a 鈥楬appiness鈥� conference听and even stuck a list of 鈥楬appiness tools鈥� on听my dressing table to remind me every morning听to smile at people, count my blessings and do听more exercise. So Barbara Ehrenreich鈥檚 recent听book 鈥� Smile or Die, How Positive Thinking听Fooled America and the World 鈥� came as a bit听of a shock.
Ehrenreich鈥檚 main complaint with what听she sees as the positive thinking ideology of听American culture is that it encourages us to听constantly censor our thoughts, deny reality听and blame only ourselves for our fate. Positive听thinking is, in her view, just as delusional as听negative thinking: in both cases there is an听inability to separate emotion from perception听and a willingness to accept illusion for reality.
In the extract from her book which we听publish in this issue, Ehrenreich builds a very听convincing argument that positive thinking,听the refusal to see things as they really are 鈥撎齦et alone to envision the worst 鈥� has had听devastating consequences on several levels.听America鈥檚 unpreparedness for the events of听11 September 2001 and the financial meltdown听of 2007, she relates to the tendency of the听American leadership to hold fast to the image听of an invulnerable nation and an ever-booming听economy.
Pointing out the irony that the positive听psychology movement has grown over the听last two decades while the icebergs sank听and the forests have been falling, Ehrenreich听rejects Martin Seligman鈥檚 notion that, as a听species, we can finally let down our guard as听鈥榞oods and services are plentiful鈥�; that anxiety听and pessimism are 鈥榰nhelpful vestiges of our听Paleolithic past鈥� when our ancestors scrambled听to avoid predators, flood and famine. Instead听of comforting ourselves with positive thinking,听we need to shake off self-absorption, and take听action against the very real threats we face.
Sarah Browne
Editor