Approval Addiction: Overcoming Your Need to Please Everyone

Meyer, author of the million-copy bestseller Battlefield of the Mind plus more than 60 other books, addresses the constant need some people have for approval. This need stems from insecurity, which, in Meyer's own case and in the case of many others, arises from abuse—physical, verbal or emotional—sometime in the past. After years of struggle, study and attempts to live out biblical teachings, Meyer happily reports that she now lives for God's approval alone. For readers beginning the journey to recovery, she offers biblical exposition and sound—if unoriginal—self-help advice. The first step, she says, is accepting who we are and where we stand in God's eyes. "We must learn to think about and believe in our righteousness," she declares. The second step is facing our approval addiction and the feelings of shame, guilt, anger and unforgiveness that come with it. Finally, we must break our behavior patterns in the future. Meyer admits that she "will always be a type-A... in fact, most of the time I am type A+." Her writing bears out her self-assessment: it's strong, pointed, no-nonsense and even pushy. But Meyer knows what she's talking about, truly loves God and wants people, with God's help, to overcome their addiction to human approval. Her goal? "I want you to become addicted to Jesus!" (Apr. 5) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.