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The Self in Self-Help: A Re-Appraisal of Therapeutic Culture in a Time of Crisis
Daniel Nehring 
Sociological Research Online, Volume: 29, Issue: 2, Pages: 316 - 333
Swansea University Author:
Daniel Nehring
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DOI (Published version): 10.1177/13607804241242345
Abstract
In this article, I analyse constructions of the self in bestselling self-help books in the United Kingdom. In doing so, I offer a re-appraisal of contemporary therapeutic culture. Therapeutic culture has long been associated with neoliberal governance, and scholars have argued that popular therapeut...
| Published in: | Sociological Research Online |
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| ISSN: | 1360-7804 1360-7804 |
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SAGE Publications
2024
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v2 66549 2024-05-31 The Self in Self-Help: A Re-Appraisal of Therapeutic Culture in a Time of Crisis ae8d2c719dc7935fbf07d354a2b30dee 0000-0002-5346-6301 Daniel Nehring Daniel Nehring true false 2024-05-31 SOSS In this article, I analyse constructions of the self in bestselling self-help books in the United Kingdom. In doing so, I offer a re-appraisal of contemporary therapeutic culture. Therapeutic culture has long been associated with neoliberal governance, and scholars have argued that popular therapeutic narratives promote neoliberal accounts of an autonomous, masterful ‘entrepreneurial self’, able to thrive in the world on its own. However, beginning with the international financial crisis of 2008, neoliberalism has entered a period of serious and accelerating crisis and contestation. The question therefore arises to what extent popular therapeutic narratives might have changed during this period. In response, I analyse narratives of the self and self-improvement in UK self-help bestsellers between 2008 and 2022. Given their high sales and consumption, self-help books are prominent in the constitution of popular therapeutic discourse. I focus on the UK as an emblematic case, given its history of neoliberal politics, the latter’s recent crisis, and the salience of therapeutic culture in the country. Across the analysed period, my findings point to the emergence of alternative, survivalist and spiritual, therapeutic discourses that move beyond the model of the entrepreneurial self, while ultimately retaining its core assumptions about rational, autonomous behavioural modification. Journal Article Sociological Research Online 29 2 316 333 SAGE Publications 1360-7804 1360-7804 narrative research; neoliberalism; self-help; therapeutic culture 12 6 2024 2024-06-12 10.1177/13607804241242345 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/13607804241242345 COLLEGE NANME Social Sciences School COLLEGE CODE SOSS Swansea University SU Library paid the OA fee (TA Institutional Deal) Swansea University 2024-06-13T10:22:40.7399574 2024-05-31T14:47:26.1474054 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Social Sciences - Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy Daniel Nehring 0000-0002-5346-6301 1 66549__30581__42d09ea6b4314be59b792e954037d158.pdf 66549.pdf 2024-06-10T10:37:52.7209696 Output 132162 application/pdf Version of Record true © The Author(s) 2024. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License. true eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ |
| title |
The Self in Self-Help: A Re-Appraisal of Therapeutic Culture in a Time of Crisis |
| spellingShingle |
The Self in Self-Help: A Re-Appraisal of Therapeutic Culture in a Time of Crisis Daniel Nehring |
| title_short |
The Self in Self-Help: A Re-Appraisal of Therapeutic Culture in a Time of Crisis |
| title_full |
The Self in Self-Help: A Re-Appraisal of Therapeutic Culture in a Time of Crisis |
| title_fullStr |
The Self in Self-Help: A Re-Appraisal of Therapeutic Culture in a Time of Crisis |
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The Self in Self-Help: A Re-Appraisal of Therapeutic Culture in a Time of Crisis |
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The Self in Self-Help: A Re-Appraisal of Therapeutic Culture in a Time of Crisis |
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Daniel Nehring |
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Sociological Research Online |
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2024 |
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SAGE Publications |
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In this article, I analyse constructions of the self in bestselling self-help books in the United Kingdom. In doing so, I offer a re-appraisal of contemporary therapeutic culture. Therapeutic culture has long been associated with neoliberal governance, and scholars have argued that popular therapeutic narratives promote neoliberal accounts of an autonomous, masterful ‘entrepreneurial self’, able to thrive in the world on its own. However, beginning with the international financial crisis of 2008, neoliberalism has entered a period of serious and accelerating crisis and contestation. The question therefore arises to what extent popular therapeutic narratives might have changed during this period. In response, I analyse narratives of the self and self-improvement in UK self-help bestsellers between 2008 and 2022. Given their high sales and consumption, self-help books are prominent in the constitution of popular therapeutic discourse. I focus on the UK as an emblematic case, given its history of neoliberal politics, the latter’s recent crisis, and the salience of therapeutic culture in the country. Across the analysed period, my findings point to the emergence of alternative, survivalist and spiritual, therapeutic discourses that move beyond the model of the entrepreneurial self, while ultimately retaining its core assumptions about rational, autonomous behavioural modification. |
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2024-06-12T10:22:41Z |
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11.017797 |