Psychobabble: Fast Talk and Quick Cure in the Era of Feeling

A very good book. His exposing of primal therapy is shocking. The things he discovered Dr Janov had said to people was unbelieveable. I thought Rosen though missed a few chances to explain why these therapies are bogus, although he tried his best. he seemed to believe some psychoanalytical ideas himself, which spoilt it a bit. But awesome all the same, and exposing

While some of the methods described have faded out of sight (primal scream therapy, est, etc) this book is still a useful (and entertaining) tool in analyzing the continuing flim-flammery of popular psychology. While expressing sensitivity towards those seeking help with real emotional and mental difficulties, Rosen questions the power and effectiveness of pop psychologists and their painful, expensive, and often humiliating methods.

In the age of Dr. Phil, I'd love to hear Rosen's insights into what current psychobabble trends say about our current state of national mind. In the absence of an updated version, though, this classic is still well worth picking up. If you have friends in therapies similar to those covered here (such as Landmark Forum), this book will be a very useful tool for articulating your inevitable unease about their vague catchphrasology. Rosen's eloquently phrased conclusions are exemplary of his most compelling point, which is that only through the subtle complexity of real language can we reach real conclusions about our own self-perceptions.

While some of the methods described have faded out of sight (primal scream therapy, est, etc) this book is still a useful (and entertaining) tool in analyzing the continuing flim-flammery of popular psychology. While expressing sensitivity towards those seeking help with real emotional and mental difficulties, Rosen questions the power and effectiveness of pop psychologists and their painful, expensive, and often humiliating methods.