Therapeutic Worlds: Popular Psychology and the Sociocultural Organisation of Intimate Life

This book explores how popular psychology organizes everyday experiences of intimacy in Trinidad and the Anglophone Caribbean, drawing on qualitative research. It argues that the proliferation of self-help media contributes to the psychologization of intimate relationships and obscures the social dimensions of intimacy. It also draws on anthropological arguments about the colonization of consciousness to interpret the insertion of transnationally mobile popular psychology into Trinidadian society.

Format: Hardback
Length: 186 pages
Publication date: 06 February 2019
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This captivating book offers a novel and insightful perspective on therapeutic narratives of intimate life, delving into the intricate ways in which popular psychology organizes our everyday experiences of intimacy. Through a qualitative research study conducted in Trinidad in the Anglophone Caribbean, the authors shed light on the complex dynamics that shape the therapeutic landscape, particularly in the context of Trinidads colonial and postcolonial history.

The book begins by mapping the development of therapeutic institutions and popular therapeutic practices in Trinidad, highlighting the ways in which these have evolved over time. It then explores how transnationally mobile, commercial forms of popular psychology, primarily originating in the Global North, have permeated Trinidadian society through online social networks, self-help books, and other media. This transnational spread of popular psychology adds to the growing body of social research on the transnational spread of a digital attention economy and its role in the proliferation of popular psychological discourse.

In the chapters that follow, the book delves into the ways in which popular psychology organizes our experiences of intimate life. Through in-depth interviews with self-help readers, the authors examine how popular psychology shapes our understanding of relationships, emotions, and personal growth. They argue that the proliferation of self-help media contributes to the psychologization of intimate relationships, obscuring the social dimensions of intimacy in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, and other social structures and inequalities. At the same time, the book draws on anthropological arguments about the colonization of consciousness in the Global South to interpret the insertion of transnationally mobile popular psychology into Trinidadian society.

This innovative contribution to scholarship on therapeutic cultures explores the widely under-researched dissemination of popular psychology in the Global South. By examining the ways in which therapeutic narratives of self and intimate relationships are incorporated into everyday experiences, the book adds to our sociological understanding of the processes through which therapeutic cultures evolve and are shaped by social, cultural, and historical factors.

Overall, this book provides a rich and thought-provoking exploration of the intersection of popular psychology, therapeutic narratives, and social change in Trinidad and beyond. It is a valuable resource for scholars, researchers, and anyone interested in understanding the complex dynamics of intimacy and the role of popular psychology in shaping our understanding of self and relationships.

Weight: 430g
Dimension: 164 x 241 x 13 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781472425980