Book Review: Ego Trip:
Rediscovering Grace in a Culture of Self-Esteem
By Glynn Harrison
The culture of self-esteem has taken over America, and it is
as popular as it is ineffective, according to psychiatrist Glynn Harrison. My
guess would be that this book will not be a favorite of most of today’s
Christian counselors who, for the most part, have swallowed the self-esteem
ideology hook, line and sinker. But dismissing the book out of hand would be a
huge mistake, especially for those whose calling in life is helping those that
are emotionally suffering.
The author is right that the struggle for significance and
self-worth in our lives is what has given the theory of self-esteem a lot of
steam (no pun intended) in modern society. From the secular world to the church
we are immersed in the ideology that what people need more than anything else
is to feel good about themselves.
The complex research that looked for hard evidence that the
gospel of self-esteem delivered on its many promises came up empty and Harrison
shares the findings; among them that what the culture of self-esteem has
actually increased has been selfishness and narcissism.
What our modern society needs (and, yes, our churches too)
is a return to sanity in the pursuit of self-realization by giving of
themselves selfishly for the good of others. For those that have read the
Gospels, that sounds a lot like the message of the Carpenter from Nazareth.
Could it be that the solutions that Psychologists and Psychiatrists have been
looking for was in the Word of God all along?
Read Harrison’s book with an open mind (and with an open
Bible); you will be blessed, and may be able to bless someone else that’s still
looking for the right answers in the wrong place.
5/5 Stars
Disclosure: The book was
received for free from Net Galley book review program. The program does not
require a positive review, only an unbiased one.
