Codependent Forevermore: The Invention of Self in a Twelve Step Group

Codependent Forevermore is a small book with a grand scope. Within its pages, the reader will find a clear explanation of the cultural phenomenon of codependency, an economical yet comprehensive review of current theories of selfhood, and a well-balanced and unbiased perspective of the impact that the societal changes of the last century have had upon our intimate relationships and the concepts people have of their identities. In addition, Irvine presents a convincing viewpoint of the changing role of institutions in American cultural life.While members of Codependents Anonymous (CoDA) will probably find it uncomfortable reading, anyone who has friends or family in the organization should find Codependent Forevermore a wide-ranging and remarkably even-handed account of what the organization is and what its adherents gain through their association with it. Irvine is careful to fully contextualize the experiences of the CoDA members she describes, and illustrates without bias why they believe the organization works for them. She neither endorses nor condemns CoDA--Codependent Forevermore is a scientifically rigorous study, not an editorial. Readers are given enough quality information to come to their own conclusions.In the course of making sense of CoDA, Irvine lays out and explains current theories of selfhood, paying particular attention to the competing influences of our relationships and of our own interpretations of our life events and personalities. Her treatment provides valuable insights into just what is meant by the "self," its fluidity, and its centrality in a society whose members are defined progressively less and less by their relationships to institutions.The last hundred years have seen a tremendous shift away from permanence in individuals' associations. Marriages fail, people move great distances, jobs are left and lost. Codependent Forevermore describes this trend in detail and notes its effects, which include the emergence of CoDA.To Irvine, CoDA represents a new phenomenon in American culture, the "Institution 'Lite,'" which "supplies many of the benefits of a [traditional] Institution...but conceals and minimizes...social obligations..." Irvine convincingly presents such institutions as a natural consequence of the changes to which our lives are increasingly becoming subject.Codependent Forevermore is at once accessible and rigorous, informative and impartial. Its scope ranges from the personal accounts of members' experiences in the group, to a primer on selfhood, to an examination of the changing roles and functions of institutions in American society. Not bad for 200 pages.