Author(s): Steve Salerno

Social Sciences

Sham = Self-Help and Actualization Movement - To many it's a godsend, to others a joke. But as investigative reporter Steve Salerno reveals in this groundbreaking book, it's neither - and in fact it's much worse than a joke. Going deep inside the 'Self-Help and Actualization Movement' (fittingly, the words form the acronym SHAM), Salerno offers the first serious expose of this multibillion-dollar industry and the real damage it is doing, not just to its paying customers, but to our society as a whole. Sham reeveals the serious financial and social consequences of our reliance on SHAM, the 'Self-Help and Actualization Movement' and gives the inside story on the most famous gurus - from Dr. Phil to Dr. Laura, from Anthony Robbins to John Gray and self-help queen, Oprah. Sham shows how the self-help gurus conduct extensive market research to show them how to reach the same customers over and over - without ever helping them and explains how companies might be wasting money on motivational speakers, "executive coaches," and other quick fixes that can actually hurt quality, productivity, and morale. Fisrt published 2005; this revied edition 2006.