Emotional Bullshit: The Hidden Plague That Is Threatening to Destroy Your Relationships-And How to Stop It »

Carl Paul Alasko, Ph.D., has been a practicing psychotherapist for more than twenty years. He is the author of the popular weekly advice column “On Relationships” for The Monterey County Herald.

You know what your IQ* is.
You may even know what your EIQ** is.
But do you know what your EBSQ*** is?
* INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT
** EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT
*** EMOTIONAL BULLSHIT QUOTIENT

An invisible plague is wreaking havoc on human relationships. What is this destructive force? Emotional Bullshit.

In this groundbreaking book, clinical psychologist Dr. Carl Alasko contends that bullshit is everywhere and it’s getting stronger and more hazardous to our psychological well-being every day. From the highest precincts of commerce and politics to the most average, everyday conversations, we’re all affected by its toxicity. And yet most of us remain largely unaware of its influence. Alasko explains that this is because EBS is inspired by three interlocking dynamics inherent to our psychological structure: denial, delusion, and blame. Referred to by Alasko as the Toxic Trio, they work together in an intricate dance in which first a truth is denied, then delusion creates an alternate truth, and finally blame is shifted to someone else.

Drawing on extensive case studies from his private practice over the past twenty years, Alasko reveals that whether it’s a casual “I forgot,” or a premeditated deception, Emotional Bullshit always erodes trust and drives people apart. Absolutely no one is safe from its ruinous effects. The number-one New York Times–bestselling book On Bullshit familiarized the public with the philosophy of bullshit—and the humor that can surround it. This book tackles something that isn’t really that funny at all: how Emotional Bullshit is destroying people’s relationshipsand, in turn, their lives. Emotional Bullshit outlines a path for recognizing and breaking free from this most vicious of cycles.

Deborah Bigelow - Library Journal

According to clinical psychologist Alasko, deception is everywhere. Whether it's a casual "I forgot" or political deception, it is corroding trust and breaking down community. Alasko details how people try to escape from the negative emotions of anxiety, anger, fear, and pain by using what he terms the "toxic trio" of denial, delusion, and blame. One first ignores or minimizes a fact or responsibility, then creates a more favorable reality. When things fall apart, one simply shifts the responsibility onto someone or something else, and the cycle repeats itself. The author provides numerous case studies of these principles in action and instructs how to satisfy core needs to eliminate the temptation to lie. Well done and applicable to all readers; recommended.