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Perfect Daughters (Revised Edition) » (Revised Edition)

Book cover image of Perfect Daughters (Revised Edition) by Robert Ackerman

Authors: Robert Ackerman
ISBN-13: 9781558749528, ISBN-10: 1558749527
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Health Communications, Incorporated
Date Published: July 2002
Edition: Revised Edition

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Author Biography: Robert Ackerman

Robert J. Ackerman, Ph.D., is the author of ten books, including A Husband's Little Black Book; A Wife's Little Red Book; Before It's Too Late; Children of Alcoholics; and many others. His books including Perfect Daughters, have become the cornerstone of Recovery and ACoA movements. He has appeared on Oprah, CNN Headline News and The Today Show. Dr. Ackerman is the chair of the Mid-Atlantic Addiction Training Institute, as well as Professor of Sociology at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He is also a founding board member of the National Association for Children of Alcoholics.

Book Synopsis

This new edition of Perfect Daughters, a pivotal book in the ACoA movement, identifies what differentiates the adult daughters of alcoholics from other women.

When this groundbreaking book first appeared over ten years ago, Dr. Ackerman identified behavior patterns shared by daughters of alcoholics. Adult daughters of alcoholics-"perfect daughters" -operate from a base of harsh and limiting views of themselves and the world. Having learned that they must function perfectly in order to avoid unpleasant situations, these women often assume responsibility for the failures of others. They are drawn to chemically dependent men and are more likely to become addicted themselves. More than just a text that identifies these behavior patterns, this book collects the thoughts, feelings and experiences of twelve hundred perfect daughters, offering readers an opportunity to explore their own life's dynamics and thereby heal and grow.

This edition contains updated information throughout the text, and completely new material, including chapters on eating disorders and abuse letters from perfect daughters in various stages of recovery, and helpful, affirming suggestions from Dr. Ackerman at the end of every chapter. This book is essential for every one who found validation, hope, courage and support in the pages of the original Perfect Daughters, as well as new readers and every therapist who confronts these issues.

Also includes: a comprehensive reference section and complete index.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgmentsxiii
Prefacexv
Introductionxix
Part 1Childhood Revisited
Chapter 1Am I the Only One Who Feels This Way? Letters from Perfect Daughters3
Chapter 2Home Groan: Daughters in Alcoholic Families33
Chapter 3What Did You Learn at Home Today?57
Chapter 4These Are the Things I Learned71
Part 2Collecting Emotional Baggage
Chapter 5Alcoholic Mothers: Pains of Endearment89
Chapter 6Alcoholic Fathers: Daughter Dearest103
Chapter 7Two Alcoholic Parents: Don't Add, Multiply123
Chapter 8Secrets and More Secrets133
Part 3Codependently Yours
Chapter 9Me, Myself and I: How Well Do You Know These People?157
Chapter 10What Kind of Adult Daughter Are You?171
Chapter 11I'm Not Codependent, Are We?199
Part 4Concerns of the Day
Chapter 12Relationships, or You Married a What?217
Chapter 13Perfect Parenting247
Part 5Discovery and Recovery
Chapter 14I Think I Can, I Think I Can263
Chapter 15To Self, with Love, from Daughter279
Postscript293
AppendixThe Research Behind Perfect Daughters295
Bibliography299
Index305

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