Authors: Robert Ackerman
ISBN-13: 9781558749528, ISBN-10: 1558749527
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Health Communications, Incorporated
Date Published: July 2002
Edition: Revised Edition
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.
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.
Acknowledgments | xiii | |
Preface | xv | |
Introduction | xix | |
Part 1 | Childhood Revisited | |
Chapter 1 | Am I the Only One Who Feels This Way? Letters from Perfect Daughters | 3 |
Chapter 2 | Home Groan: Daughters in Alcoholic Families | 33 |
Chapter 3 | What Did You Learn at Home Today? | 57 |
Chapter 4 | These Are the Things I Learned | 71 |
Part 2 | Collecting Emotional Baggage | |
Chapter 5 | Alcoholic Mothers: Pains of Endearment | 89 |
Chapter 6 | Alcoholic Fathers: Daughter Dearest | 103 |
Chapter 7 | Two Alcoholic Parents: Don't Add, Multiply | 123 |
Chapter 8 | Secrets and More Secrets | 133 |
Part 3 | Codependently Yours | |
Chapter 9 | Me, Myself and I: How Well Do You Know These People? | 157 |
Chapter 10 | What Kind of Adult Daughter Are You? | 171 |
Chapter 11 | I'm Not Codependent, Are We? | 199 |
Part 4 | Concerns of the Day | |
Chapter 12 | Relationships, or You Married a What? | 217 |
Chapter 13 | Perfect Parenting | 247 |
Part 5 | Discovery and Recovery | |
Chapter 14 | I Think I Can, I Think I Can | 263 |
Chapter 15 | To Self, with Love, from Daughter | 279 |
Postscript | 293 | |
Appendix | The Research Behind Perfect Daughters | 295 |
Bibliography | 299 | |
Index | 305 |