Manufacturing Victims: What the Psychology Industry Is Doing to People (book)
Manufacturing Victims: What the Psychology Industry Is Doing to People (2001) by Tana Dineen, (3rd. ed.) is a book describing how psychiatrists and psychologists promote the "victim industry".
- (Cover available here: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51MTZ11TT0L._AC_UL160_SR101,160_.jpg )
- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Studio 9 Books & Music; 3 edition (January 25, 2001)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1552070328
- ISBN-13: 978-1552070321
Publisher's description
"After thirty years in the profession, Dr. Tana Dineen has written an unflinching critique of modern Psychology and Psychotherapy. This controversial best-selling exposé of the Psychology Industry was first published in 1996. Now available in its revised, updated and less expensive 3rd edition, it is no less popular nor less explosive than when it first appeared. Cited in Time and the New York Times, among other wide-circulation publications, Tana Dineen's scathing attack on the abuses and misuses of corrupted psychotherapy is a must read for care-givers and care-takers alike. And for would-be care-takers too. Topics covered include:
- Victim-Making,
- Fabricated Victims,
- Selling Psychology as a Science,
- The Business of Psychology,
- The Technology of Victim-Making,
- The Rise to Power of the Psychology Industry, and
- Living in the Shadow of the Psychology Industry.
Fully supported by end of book notes and index, and with a suggested reading list, this is one of the most important books on psychology to appear in recent years. The author has been often--and always unsuccessfully--attacked by representatives of corporate psychology who have resorted to character assassination rather than reason to try and prove Dr. Dineen wrong. "[1]
Customer reviews
- When she hits the target she gets the bullseye
- By A Customer on May 4, 1998
Dr. Dineen is certainly right when she attacks the many sloppy and poorly trained therapists in the world today. Psychology has become the new religion, and like all religions it has spawned a disturbing assortment of irrational cults. Foremost among them is "trauma theory"--the dogma that virtually all psychological problems stem from abuse and neglect in early childhood. The patient must, it follows, learn to hate the abusive parents and blame every disappointment and failure in life on them. What is not blamed on parents is blamed on "society" in general and on relatively trivial day to day traumas like finding a bug in your food, getting into a shouting match with your lover or having your purse snatched. The author is absolutely correct that there is no evidence that childhood experiences determine adult behavior, and that there are many people who have experienced far worse traumas than middle class Westerners could ever imagine and show no signs of psychopathology. Obviosly there is no need to bring everyone into the mental health system. There are those who need care and those who don't. Dineen exposes a virtual conspiracy among some mental health care providers to make everyone a patient and label everyone in society as fundamentally weak and flawed. Needless to say, I appreciated many aspects of this book. But before I sign off, I must complain about a few things. Dr. Dineen is great at criticizing the quack theories and fuzzy thinking others, but offers few suggestions about helping those who actually have mental illnesses. At times, she seems to shrug the whole issue off. It is clear from the book that she does not take the approach of Thomas Szasz and deny that mental illness exists.<span class="a-declarative" data-action="columnbalancing-showfullreview" data-columnbalancing-showfullreview="{"rest":" For example, she refers to schizophrenia as a biological condition, which it is. I was a little uncertain, however, about where she stands on clinical depression, manic depression and the various anxiety disorders like O.C.D Her tone seems very critical of anyone who is in treatment for any kind of "neurotic" disorder. However, the same type of modern brain research which proved that schizophrenia is a brain disease suggests the same thing about many types of depression and anxiety disorders. They are really not "neuroses" or psychological problems in adjustment at all. When a person suffering from clinical depression is lying in bed sobbing and unable to get shower or get dressed, it is not because they are lazy or weak. It is because they have a chemical imbalance that makes their thinking disorganized and their feelings oversensitive. Dineen seems to ignore most of the brain science revolution in the past two decades. Instead of abandoning quack "trauma" therapy for genuine empirical facts about human behaviors and the illnesses which can effect them, she opts for a lot of old platitudes about vaguely defined "personal responsibility." But being told to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and keep your chin up can no more cure clinical depression than it can anemia or diabetes. To put it another way, lets say you have panic attacks. A run of the mill trauma therapist would blame your parents and say that maybe they had frightened and terrorized you as a child, and if you hated and rejected them enough you would be well. Dr. Dineen, it seems, would just consider you lazy and irresponsible and tell you to get a life. Both approaches would cause more harm than good. When it comes to psychiatric illness, it is not profitable to blame your parents or yourself--get medical care and adjust the flawed brain chemistry. Also get a good non-judgmental therapist to practice supportive therapy if you are in a crisis period. Dineen gets so caught up in bashing her opponants that she forgot to guide people who actually need mental health care in the right direction.
- 5.0 out of 5 stars
- Brilliant
- By Arch on June 24, 2007
"Anyone who is a psychologist should read this. Tana is so sensible and so right. Readers who like this book will also enjoy 'Destructive trends in mental health.' The profession of psychology needs to take a close look at itself."
- A must-read book
- By A Customer on September 26, 1996
What some readers have been saying about MANUFACTURING VICTIMS:
"This book is dynamite and I can't wait to see the reaction. Manufacturing Victims is a sizzling expose of the Psychology Industry. While showing tremendous compassion towards real victims of rape, accidents and torture, Dr. Tana Dineen skillfully takes the Psychology Industry to task for destroying families, promoting hostile views of men and women, promoting distrust and suspicion, and misusing science."
- --Dr. Elizabeth Loftus, Professor of Psychology, University of Washington, co-author, The Myth of Repressed Memory
"Manufacturing Victims is a spirited and deeply principled critique of the inanities and abuses of contemporary psychology. Let us hope it serves as a welcome antidote for our society's spreading addiction to toxic therapy."
- --Theodore Roszak, author, The Making of a Counter Culture
"A devastating critique of the business of psychotherapy. Well done. Badly needed. Long overdue. It will make a lot of people mad. I hope it makes them take a hard look at the sins of the profession.
- --Dr. Sam Keen, former editor, Psychology Today, author, A Fire in the Belly
"This penetrating, insightful and carefully documented expose will add depth and power to the national chorus of voices calling for legislative reform of the mental health industry. Dr. Dineen has performed a major service to vulnerable consumers and taxpayers who are too often called upon to bear the burdens of dangerous experimental procedures and other forms of consumer fraud disguised as `mental health treatment.'"
- --Prof. R. Christopher Barden, President, National Association for Consumer Protection in Mental Health Practices
"As many of us are aware, many clinical psychologists and psychiatrists are `manufacturing victims,--and living off their creations, who are, sadly, real people. All of us concerned with what is going on can profit greatly from reading this book cover to cover.
- Dr. Robyn Dawes, Acting Department Head, Department of Social and Decision Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University,author, House of Cards: Psychology and Psychotherapy Built on Myth
Importance to BoyLovers
Most BoyLovers have been "brainwashed" by the psych industry into believing that they are "sick," "disordered," "dangerous," etc., which, of course is not true.
The psych industry, in connivance with the media, have demonized BoyLovers. And the lawyers, too, have furthered the same cause, as it is highly profitable for them to do so.
References
See also
- (to be added)
- Harmful to Minors (book)
- The Trauma Myth (book)
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External links
- Manufacturing Victims: What the Psychology Industry Is Doing to People (2001) by Tana Dineen
- The author's website:
- Manufacturing Victims: What the Psychology Industry Is Doing to People (2002) by Tana Dineen,--download the book here:
