Introduction
WHAT’S SO WRONG WITH POPULAR PSYCHOLOGY ANYWAY?
We live in the age of self-improvement. As we go about our daily lives we are subjected to a million messages – some subtle, and some less so – intimating that a happier, richer, more successful life is just around the corner. With the immediate survival needs of food and shelter taken care of for the majority, western civilisation has now turned its attention to how much better it could all be. And this in turn has spawned a prolific, multi-million dollar industry of stadium-filling gurus, bestselling books, magazines and websites telling us how to be happier, thinner, richer, and all round better people. But is our culture of self-help really helping? Or is it just creating expectations ...
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