In Focus delivers deeper coverage of the political, cultural, and ideological issues shaping America. Published daily by senior writers and experts, these in-depth pieces go beyond the headlines to give readers the full picture. You can find our full list of In Focus pieces here.Forty years ago, Americans were more likely to talk about character, duty, responsibility, self-discipline, and resilience. Today, they are more likely to talk about trauma, validation, boundaries, emotional safety, and self-care.This is more than a change in vocabulary. It reflects a deeper shift in how Americans understand themselves, their relationships, and their obligations to one another. The language of therapy, once largely confined to the therapist’s office, has become one of the dominant moral languages of American life.
In my new book, Therapy Nation, I argue that America didn’t just embrace therapy. It embraced a therapeutic worldview. Concepts originally developed to help people understand psychological distress now shape how many Americans think about politics, parenting, education, and everyday life. What began as a way of understanding mental health has evolved into a way of understanding life itself.For most of human history, feelings were understood as important but not authoritative. They were experiences to be acknowledged, examined, and managed. They offered information, but they did not settle questions of truth, morality, or obligation. Today, emotional experience often carries far greater weight. The question is no longer simply whether something is true, reasonable, or necessary. It is whether it feels validating, safe, affirming, or healing. Feelings once informed judgment. Today, they often compete with it.Political disagreements once revolved primarily around competing interests, values, and visions for society. Citizens argued over taxes, immigration, crime, education, foreign policy, and the proper role of government. Opponents were viewed as mistaken, misguided, or simply wrong.(Washington Examiner illustration; Getty Images)
