Much attention of psychologists around neglect focuses on physical neglect. Likewise, in academic literature, the word “neglect” is used in tandem to form the phrase “emotional abuse and neglect.” However, as noted by the author, emotional neglect by itself is not directly discussed much (at all?) in the academic literature. Perhaps this occurs because of it is a diagnosis of omission – that is, it’s something that doesn’t happen with significant results. In this self-help book, Jonice Webb describes this condition to provide a potential lifeline to sufferers to make sense of their life and emotions.
As a biomedical researcher, I’m not sure a self-help book is the appropriate place to debut this condition. The academic literature or an academic conference seems a better place to describe it. Bringing it straight to the reading public unnecessarily risks doing some degree of harm. The phrase “first, do no harm” rings through my head. Self-help books require subjective identification with symptoms and do not provide the academic rigor needed to explore and define a new condition. Subjective identification only works when based on evidence. There is none here (yet).
That said, Webb’s description seems fairly true to my life story. Everyone outside of my home talked about emotions, but my parents did not. If anything, they argued about emotional intelligence. Indeed, they fit into several categories described in this book. As I grew into an adult, I had to take many steps for my personal emotional health described in this book. Webb’s constellation of symptoms provides a degree of peace of mind in that I know other people have experienced similar events. I also encountered numerous people who had a “mysterious maladaptive condition” growing up that wasn’t well understood. Perhaps Webb might be able to shine some beneficial light on their life experiences, too.
I’m not sure I can recommend this book because it lacks a rigorous, scientifically validated definition. It’s certainly nice to identify with people of similar backgrounds, but this suggestion really needs to be tested through peer-reviewed academic literature before it’s disseminated. I do wish Webb the best and hope that she will persevere through rigorous scrutiny to discover whether this hypothesis can indeed be verified. In the eight years since this book was published, perhaps she has made some progress in research.
Running on Empty: Overcome Your Childhood Emotional Neglect
By Jonice Webb
Narrated by Karen White
Copyright (c) 2015
Tantor Audio
ASIN B00ZJBYJ7U
Length: 7:46
Genre: Psychology
www.amazon.com