Bill Clinton’s “My Life”:
A Retrospective on Presidential Politics, Power, Family & Infidelity.
A Psychologist's Perspective.
Does Bill Clinton share intimate details about his infidelity in his
ultra-hyped, brand-new book, “My Life”? Opinions differ, though
the majority are intrigued by what he does have to say. One thing is undeniable
from all the present media coverage -- the release of “My Life”
is an event as newsworthy as the John Kerry/George Bush election or the
Google IPO. That the public has a fascination with adultery, infidelity,
sex and celebrity is obvious; headlines chronicle the escapades of Kobe
Bryant, Paris Hilton, Michael Jackson, and Jennifer Lopez, and these stories
have sold many a paper.
Dr. Allison Conner was asked recently by CNN to comment on Clinton’s
presidential infidelities in context of his high profile and influential
position. "People who achieve powerful, high visibility positions
in business, entertainment and government have particular personality
profiles and are also presented with temptation more frequently than the
rest of the population,” states Dr. Allison Conner, a New York cognitive-behavioral
psychologist. “All the attention is very intoxicating, and may lead
to lapses in judgment.” Clinton has stated that he cheated because
“he could” and that it was a “terrible moral error.”
During recent interviews, Clinton shared that he and Hillary have engaged
in intensive one-day-a-week couples counseling for a year, which played
a vital role in the recovery of their marriage. Millions of Americans
are also looking to save or improve their marriages, as evidenced by the
sale of millions of copies of Dr. Phil’s Relationship Rescue book
series. Dr. Conner’s “Top-10 Relationship Wreakers”
is a popular article with Internet surfers, receiving thousands of visits
to date (available for free at http://www.cta-ny.com/top-ten-relationship-wreckers.php).
Dr. Conner emphasizes that, “a key to having a marriage survive
infidelity is for the cheating spouse to not only acknowledge the affair
and the betrayal of trust -- and of course to honestly apologize -- but
for both partners to have an accurate understanding of the reasons or
motivations for such behavior.” Dr. Conner notes that in her experience
of treating couples and individual clients in therapy, a desire to change
is critically important for reaching a positive outcome. “When one
spouse drags the other to therapy unwillingly, the prognosis or outlook
is much more doubtful,” comments Dr. Conner.
In recent years, psychologists and counselors are more frequently treating
couples using the cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) approach, which is
currently the second most popular form of psychotherapy (the first being
psychodynamic psychotherapy). CBT has shown better results in numerous
research studies compared to other forms of therapy in helping people
to overcome their psychological difficulties. It uses proven methods to
help patients to identify and change thoughts, attitudes, beliefs and
behaviors that cause them to derail their lives repeatedly.
To interview Dr. Allison Conner regarding cognitive-behavioral therapy,
couples counseling, relationship issues or any other psychological problems,
call (212) 258-2577, or e-mail aconner@aconner.com.
For help with your relationships, call Dr. Allison Conner, Clinical Director,
Cognitive Therapy
Associates at (212) 258-2577.
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