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The Self in Self-Help: A Re-Appraisal of Therapeutic Culture in a Time of Crisis

Daniel Nehring Orcid Logo

Sociological Research Online, Volume: 29, Issue: 2, Pages: 316 - 333

Swansea University Author: Daniel Nehring Orcid Logo

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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...

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Published in: Sociological Research Online
ISSN: 1360-7804 1360-7804
Published: SAGE Publications 2024
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa66549
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first_indexed 2024-05-31T13:49:38Z
last_indexed 2024-05-31T13:49:38Z
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spelling 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 COLLEGE NANME Social Sciences School COLLEGE CODE SOSS Swansea University SU Library paid the OA fee (TA Institutional Deal) Swansea University 2024-10-25T15:34:54.4423446 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
title_full_unstemmed The Self in Self-Help: A Re-Appraisal of Therapeutic Culture in a Time of Crisis
title_sort The Self in Self-Help: A Re-Appraisal of Therapeutic Culture in a Time of Crisis
author_id_str_mv ae8d2c719dc7935fbf07d354a2b30dee
author_id_fullname_str_mv ae8d2c719dc7935fbf07d354a2b30dee_***_Daniel Nehring
author Daniel Nehring
author2 Daniel Nehring
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container_title Sociological Research Online
container_volume 29
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publishDate 2024
institution Swansea University
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doi_str_mv 10.1177/13607804241242345
publisher SAGE Publications
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hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str School of Social Sciences - Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Social Sciences - Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy
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description 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.
published_date 2024-06-12T15:34:52Z
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