The Alcoholic Self (Sociological Observations) Book

The Alcoholic Self is the first of three volumes written by Norman Denzin on alcoholism, the process of recovery and treatment. Here he offers a uniquely phenomenological approach to explain the alcoholic's development of a sense of self that is fragmented, defensive and subjective. @3Considering behavioural and psychoanalytic theories of the problem, Denzin contends that they fail to elucidate the process through which the alcoholic gets caught in a vicious cycle of self-destruction. He further contrasts these theories with those held by alcoholics themselves and by Alcoholics Anonymous. In addition, he places the disease within a broader social context, arguing that the alcoholic's internal conflicts reflect the dichotomies and contradictions in society.@3His book will interest social theorists concerned with the loss of self-efficacy experienced by individuals in contemporary society, and will offer new insights to those psychologists who see the problem as a form of individual pathology and social deviance.Read More