Against Therapy


Against Therapy: Emotional Tyranny and the Myth of Psychological Healing is a 1988 book by author Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, in which the author argues against the practice of psychotherapy. The work was criticized by reviewers.

Summary

Masson argues that psychotherapy is a form of socially sanctioned abuse.
According to Masson, therapists ask patients to do more than is reasonably possible, they "distort another person's reality" to try to change people in ways that conform to the therapist's concepts and prejudices. Therapists are, in Masson's opinion, inevitably corrupted by power and "abuse of one form or another is built into the very fabric of psychotherapy".

Reception

wrote, "Although the author's slash-and-burn style of argument can be entertaining, readers should keep their hands on their wallets. Assertions tend to be sold as established facts." The New York Times argued that "Masson has failed to put a stake through the heart of therapy—in fact, he's greatly missed the mark." Psychiatric Times called Against Therapy "a "battle cry" for the abolition of psychotherapy".