Damaged Lifeprovides a powerful and progressive analysis of modernity's impact on the psyche. Modernization has brought material benefits to us, yet we are constantly being told how unhappy we are: crime, divorce, suicide, depression and anxiety are increasingly present realities of life. Tod Sloan highlights the effects of seemingly remote issues on all our lives, showing how capitalist industrialization has had a bearing on personal experience and intimate relationships. He presents an integrated theory of the self in society, setting personality development in the context of sociohistorical processes and everyday life. An alternative critical psychology is introduced which explores our understanding of and complex response to modernization. The implications of postmodern theory are discussed and solutions proposed to end the mass suffering of the modern self. This book should be read by all those studying or working with psychology and related disciplines such as sociologyand social policy.