Roger Gould is an American writer, psychiatrist and authority on adult

psychological development Developmental psychology is the scientific study of how and why humans grow, change, and adapt across the course of their lives. Originally concerned with infants and children, the field has expanded to include adolescence, adult development, ...

. In his book ''Transformations'', Gould presents his view that adult psychological development consists of the "dismantling of the illusions of safety developed in childhood".McCrae, Robert R. and Paul T. Costa. Personality in Adulthood: A Five Factor Theory Perspective. Guilford. New York, 2005. Gould's theory suggests that these illusions are confronted in a time-sensitive sequence as one progresses through the life-cycle. His research was used extensively in ''Passages'', by

Gail Sheehy Gail Sheehy (born Gail Henion; November 27, 1936 – August 24, 2020) was an American author, journalist, and lecturer. She was the author of seventeen books and numerous high-profile articles for magazines such as ''New York'' and ''Vanity ...

. Gould has pioneered the use of computer-assisted and web-based therapy. He was honored by

The Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

as a pioneer in the field of computer-assisted therapy. In 2001, Gould's method of computer-assisted therapy was found to be about as effective as traditional therapy. Gould is also the founder of Shrink Yourself, an online, weight-loss program that uses his web-based therapy techniques to eliminate emotional eating,

binge eating Binge eating is a pattern of disordered eating which consists of episodes of uncontrollable eating. It is a common symptom of eating disorders such as binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa. During such binges, a person rapidly consumes an exc ...

, overeating and other forms of excessive, compulsive or uncontrolled eating. In 2007, he published a second book, ''Shrink Yourself: Break Free from Emotional Eating Forever'', based on the Shrink Yourself online program. In both the book and online program, Gould suggests that the powerlessness people feel over their cravings to eat when they are emotionally upset is a cover-up for a deeper sense of powerlessness in areas, or "layers", of their lives not directly connected to eating. By examining one's sense of powerlessness in the areas identified, Gould claims one can end emotional eating and other form of uncontrolled eating.Gould, Roger. Shrink Yourself: Break Free from Emotional Eating Forever. Wiley. Hoboken, 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gould, Roger Living people 1935 births American psychiatrists