Therapy culture and the culture of self-help as neoliberal governmental technologies in postsocialist societies of Eastern Europe: Metasynthesis and a theoretical interpretetion

Abstract

Since the existing research on therapy culture and self-help culture in postsocialist societies of Eastern Europe is mostly empirically oriented, this article aims at developing and testing a theoretical framework for their future research. Our theoretical framework will be based on the conceptual apparatus of a theoretical and research field known as ?governmentality theory?. By using this apparatus, we will define terms like neoliberalism, therapy culture and self-help culture and complement them with certain concepts that will adjust those definitions for studying postsocialist contexts. We will test this theoretical framework by using it to analyze existing research on therapy culture and self-help culture in postsocialist societies of Eastern Europe. In the conclusion we will, based on this analysis, present the perceived advantages and disadvantages of our theoretical framework.