Codependence

An idea that was very big in the 80s and early 90s, Codependence was a re-working of 12 Step ideas so that almost everyone could identify as an addict, and so benefit from the spiritual path of the 12 Steps. This idea had an immense influence in America, and books about it became something of a publishing phenomenon. The Codependence movement created its own set of superstars, most of whom are still around. Largest in the firmament was Melody Beattie, whose landmark (and massive bestselling) book Codependent No More I've just finished reading. Some of the other big names were Anne Wilson Schaef, Janet Woititz, and Charles Whitfield. Codependents were also very keen on the work of John Bradshaw (who has a new book coming out that sounds quite fascinating), but he was popular across the entire addiction/recovery movement, and any self-helper worth their salt spent a few evenings back in the 80s watching the legendary "Bradshaw Videos."
Reading the books now, one is aware of a certain old-fashioned desperation. The notion that we are all addicts seems quite dated today, and as a message it was always a little nihilistic. How long can you live with the idea that you are hopelessly out of control in your life, and all you can ever do is recognise this and turn to God for some semblance of stability? People seem to have returned to the old New Thought ideas - that we can shape our world with our thoughts, and everything is within our control.
Melody Beattie was always quite a good writer, and as the Codependence bubble burst she went on to write more general self-help books, all of them very good. But she will always be remembered as the woman who championed Codependence, and the notion that, at heart, we are all quietly desperate and in need of self-care.

You Can Do It!

I've been reading Paul Hanna's book You Can Do It quite closely, because he will form the basis of one of my chapters. I really want to write something about the migrant experience and self-help authors, but Hanna doesn't mention it, at all. Frustrating for me. I shall have to read all of his other books very closely to see if I can make a case! It's interesting because throughout the book he refers to himself and his experiences regularly (which is characteristic of the genre as a whole), but he is normally only positing himself as teacher or catalyst for another person's realisation. An interesting way to cast oneself, and it's something I will be exploring further.
It's actually quite a good book - simple but effective. In real life (I've attended one of his seminars) Hanna is quite a charming man, and this unpretentious charm comes across in the book.
It has helped me make a case for the place of the ""Struggle" autobiography always present in Self-Help books. In this one Hanna details how he reached a low-point in his life when he didn't even have a car in which to drive to his cousin's wedding in Sydney's Western suburbs. This was his Scarlett O'Hara moment, and he vowed to himself that he'd never be car-less again.
This kind of scenario appears again and again in self-help literature, frequently framed around a struggle with serious illness (Hanna does this, too, in his seminars).
Hanna is big on attitude adjustment, goal setting and the power of affirmations - all standard ingredients of any self-respecting self-help book.
Ultimately the book is about enthusiasm and approaching one's life with passion - emotions more easily fired up in a seminar than a book, but Hanna does his level best to achieve it here.