Title: The Impact of Therapy Culture: Examining the Potential Harm
In today’s American society, therapy has become as ubiquitous as a slice of apple pie. It seems like every problem we face can be solved through a 45-minute session. However, sociologist Philip Rieff, in his book The Triumph of the Therapeutic, warned us about the potential harm caused by our overreliance on therapy almost 60 years ago.
Rieff argued that our traditional values were slowly being replaced by a therapeutic worldview. This new cultural paradigm prioritizes psychological well-being, self-fulfillment, and the satisfaction of individual desires over everything else. Instead of organizing our lives around religious or economic needs, we now build them around our therapeutic needs.
The danger, according to Rieff, is that as subjective fulfillment becomes the ultimate goal, we lose our connection to a shared reality and the moral obligations we once had towards each other start to disappear.
Today, it is hard to deny the foresight of Rieff’s argument. In our overly sensitive world, we believe that discussing, understanding, and satisfying our feelings can solve any problem at hand.
Do you struggle with insecurity or anxiety? Just pay an expert $300 an hour to delve into your repressed childhood trauma and its impact on your thoughts and behavior. Are you unable to break free from your dependence on substances or compulsive behaviors? Join a support group where you can openly share your feelings with others who can relate. Experiencing issues at home? An adolescent psychologist or couples counselor will be there to help manage your household.
The prevailing mindset today is that we should focus on our troubles and find ways to overcome them, rather than simply enduring and moving forward. This therapeutic approach has gained significant traction, leading us to question whether therapy itself is doing more harm than good.
The cracks in the therapy regime are beginning to show. Even publications like The Atlantic, known for its readers’ neurotic, coastal elite demographic, are starting to acknowledge the downsides of our therapeutic culture. Recently, the magazine frustratingly admitted that teenagers who received therapy reported worse relationships with their parents, increased levels of depression and anxiety, and a lower quality of life.
By focusing solely on our psychological satisfaction, we create issues that may not have existed otherwise. Teenagers taught to prioritize their subjective happiness above all else may display less patience or respect for their parents’ authority. The fundamental principle of Honor thy father and mother is sacrificed on the altar of self-worship.
However, The Atlantic falls short of admitting therapy itself as the problem. Instead, they offer various excuses, diluting blame away from therapy’s core failure. But the reality is that therapy culture is inherently flawed. This alternative approach of therapy, similar to the socialist ideologies in politics, has never truly been tested. The answer cannot simply be more therapy.
For those committed to preserving sensitivity and the status quo, therapy is seen as a form of tolerance. Originally, tolerance meant respecting others’ right to live their lives freely. In the present context, it has expanded to celebrating all expressions as morally equal. It means tolerating criminality as a psychological outburst caused by a repressive system. It means accepting gender perversion as a necessary form of self-fulfillment. Ultimately, it results in the censorship of speech and expression under the guise of psychological harm caused to others.
The therapeutic culture has reached a point where there seem to be no limits to how much we coddle those we would have previously condemned. This is the brave new world that liberals are striving to create, where achieving true psychic harmony will supposedly eliminate discord, crime, oppression, and injustice. However, admitting the failure of this utopian dream is to recognize it as a nightmare.
In conclusion, our overreliance on therapy has significant consequences for our society and individuals. While therapy has its merits, the therapeutic culture’s dominance and the prioritization of individual well-being can erode our connection to shared values and moral obligations. As we continue to navigate this terrain, it is crucial to examine the potential harm therapy culture may inflict and strike a balance between therapeutic pursuits and a broader understanding of human experiences.
