Oliver James

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For the musician/actor, see Oliver James (entertainer).

Oliver James is a clinical psychologist, writer and television documentary producer. He was educated at the University of Cambridge where he gained a 2.2 in Psychology.

He is a critic of evolutionary perspectives on psychology, and a critic of what he perceives to be the conventional psychiatric approach to schizophrenia. He has written on the subject of the problematic relationship between wealth and happiness, which is also the subject of his next book, Affluenza - How to be Middle Class, Successful and Fulfilled. Oliver James has been criticised in the past for writing in clinical terms on the mental health of celebrities and politicians.[1], for blaming parents for their children's mental health problems, and for making criticisms of psychiatry that are based on factual errors, exemplified by his recent comment: "there is no evidence that the genetic material of schizophrenics differs in any way from people without the illness"[2].

[edit] Books

• They F*** You Up: How to Survive Family Life (Bloomsbury, 2002; Marlowe & Company, 2006)
• Britain on the Couch - Why We're Unhappier Compared with 1950 Despite Being Richer (Arrow, 1998).
• Juvenile Violence in a Winner-Loser Culture, (Free Association Books, 1995)

[edit] External links

• Bloomsbury author page
• Oliver James, The Guardian, June 30, 2005, "Face the facts: For many people climate change is too depressing to think about, and some prefer to simply pretend it doesn't exist"
• Oliver James, The Guardian, September 2, 2003, "So George, how do you feel about your mom and dad? Psychologist Oliver James analyses the behaviour of the American president"
• Oliver James, Resurgence, March/April 2003, "Moving the goalposts: Chasing that ephemeral and elusive state of 'happiness'"
• An interview with Oliver James from Liverpool's 'Nerve' magazine
• Henry Porter, February 15 2001 "What's Up Doc? Dr Oliver James is free to make outrageous comments on Peter Mandelson. But he should be gagged."
• Oliver James The Guardian "Think Again"