Money Demons - Hardcover

Are you and your partner having financial problems? Bad news, says Dr. Susan Forward, who believes that money conflicts between men and women can seriously jeopardize relationships, and often stem from deep-seated issues. Forward, who has counseled financially distraught patients for years, has found that women who spend compulsively may be compensating for lost dreams: "Many women who played music, painted, danced, wrote, acted, or showed promise in some other art form when they were younger, or who once had professional aspirations, have had to give up their art or aspirations for marriage, family, or financial reasons." Although she doesn't believe that compulsive spending is a substitute for their dreams, "it is a way for these women to act out some of the frustration and resentment they feel." And such actions may lead to other symptoms, as women deprive themselves of their just worth, sabotage their success, and live in debt. Filled with insightful, if somewhat quirky, anecdotes, this book could be the answer many couples living under the stress of financial difficulties are looking for. --Cate Bick

The injured ego of a husband whose wife earns more than he is one of the most common money-related marital casualties indentified here by psychotherapist Forward ( Toxic Parents ). Written "for and about women" because the "unfortunate fact" is that they are often "the only ones willing to do the emotional work" to improve a relationship, this helpful, analytical guide seeks to assist in reducing conflicts in a relationship--many of them resulting in sexual dysfunction. Assisted by film writer-producer Buck, Forward points out that couples may unwittingly use money as a psychological weapon to control or punish, causing fear and resentment that explode in violent fights masking unconscious emotional "money demons." Chapters dealing with self-depriving women, compulsive gambling and the "money-reckless" man (spends money he "deserves" to have) conclude with self-help strategies. First serial to Good Housekeeping; Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club selections.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.