Psychologist and author Phillip C. McGraw, PhD, has spent a great deal of time wondering about this upheaval of American life, too. And he says he has some answers.<\/p>\n
You know Dr. Phil, most likely from his Dr. Phil<\/em> daytime show that ran for 21 seasons. Dr. Phil sought to help others through his television platform for mental health issues. Springboarding from guest appearances he made on The Oprah Winfrey Show<\/em>, Dr. Phil<\/em> was recorded before a live audience in Hollywood, California, beginning in 2002 and ending in 2023.<\/p>\n Perhaps you saw some of the shows like Save My Lazy Grandson Before I Make Him Homeless!, Help! Do I Choose My Fiance or My Son?!, My Hoarder Father Refuses to Clean Our Junk-Filled House, <\/em>or My Wife Tricked Me Into Getting a Divorce.<\/em><\/p>\n Dr. Phil\u2019s trademark approach has always been to take seemingly complicated issues and drill down to the bare bones, seeking and providing solutions. He, once again, applies his technique to helping analyze how we got to this point in his new book, We\u2019ve Got Issues\u2026How You Can Stand Strong for America\u2019s Soul and Sanity<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n He says there is no easy answer, but he offers solid strategies based on hard evidence.<\/p>\n From my viewpoint, as a baby boomer, witnessing social upheaval is not new, but the elevated degree of it is.<\/p>\n In the late \u201960s and early \u201970s, crossing Washington Square Park and heading to class at New York University, I waded through frequent protests against the War in Vietnam. The protests in the park and around the buildings were interspersed with the dancing Hare Krishna, the hippies proclaiming peace and love\u2026 \u201cfar out, man.\u201d There were so many student protests that it was hard to keep up with the day\u2019s goal. \u201cWe\u2019re protesting the hourly fee of the elevator operators at NYU!\u201d (Yes, there were elevator operators).<\/p>\n It was an era of turmoil. Protestors occupied Hamilton Hall at Columbia in 1968<\/a>, like recently, but for different reasons.<\/p>\n The protest against the war in Vietnam resulted in the Kent State shooting<\/a> in May 1970 and was, perhaps, one of the most extreme examples of protests running amock.<\/p>\n Yes, there were activists and protests, but it mostly did not stop all of us from living or questioning the values of the entire society or paralyzing so many others as happens today.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve Got Issues<\/em> is not a book with a political viewpoint. Instead, Dr. Phil dissects the current changes in our country and family values.<\/p>\n According to Dr. Phil, \u201c\u2026we\u2019ve gotten rid of the most important trait, self-determination, and replaced it with victimization. We\u2019ve gotten rid of conversation and replaced it with cancellation. We\u2019ve gone from courageous to coddled. We\u2019ve decided to celebrate intent rather than outcomes. And we\u2019re all paying the price for it, spiritually, emotionally and financially.\u201d<\/p>\n In his timely book, Dr. Phil shares what he sees as a roadmap to help fix all of this \u2026 a formula to sustain a healthy society.<\/p>\n Each of the 17 chapters begins with the results of a survey done as the foundation of this book. For example,<\/p>\n In his analysis of where we need to head as a society, he divides his book into sections covering how the focus of America has changed, how that focus might be affecting you, the importance of faith\/family\/community, and his ten commandments if you will, the ten principles for how to sustain a healthy society.<\/p>\n His suggestions stress the importance of life purpose, problem-solving vs. complaining and arguing, listening to and following your inner positive voice, understanding others and your own personal dignity, and much more.<\/p>\n If you have wondered if Dr. Phil was plucked from central casting to appear on Oprah initially, you would be wrong.<\/p>\n As he was known years ago (by his full proper name), Dr. McGraw founded Courtroom Sciences Inc<\/a>. (CSI),\u00a0 drawing from his expertise as a psychologist and human behavior specialist. CSI is a consulting service that helps with jury selection, preparing witnesses, and litigation strategies.<\/p>\n Dr Phil McGraw at the Dr Phil Mc Graw Star Ceremony on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, CA, 2019. Photo: Deposit Photos<\/p><\/div>\n In the late 90s, Dr. McGraw\u2019s firm was called upon to assist Oprah Winfrey with a legal case, which she ultimately won. After several guest appearances on the show, Oprah joined forces with Dr. McGraw to create the Dr. Phil show, which received 31 Emmy\u00ae nominations, winning five PRISM Awards and a Mothers Against Drunk Drivers Media Award. Inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame<\/a> in 2015, Dr. Phil was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2020.<\/p>\n Dr. Phil earned a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the University of North Texas and a post-doctoral fellowship in forensic psychology from the Wilmington Institute. He was a licensed psychologist in Texas until he transferred to California to start the Dr. Phil<\/em> show.<\/p>\n In April 2024, Merit Street Media<\/a>, which Dr. Phil founded, debuted, reaching over 80 million viewers. Merit Street Media is a news and entertainment cable broadcasting network. Dr. Phil Primtime<\/em> appears nightly at 8 P.M. (ET) and is produced in front of a live audience now in the Dallas\/Ft. Worth area.<\/p>\n Dr. Phil and wife, Robin. Photo: Deposit Photos<\/p><\/div>\n Dr. Phil and his wife, Robin, will be married for 46 years this August (2024). They have two grown sons, Jay and Jordan, and four grandchildren.<\/p>\n According to Dr. Phil, \u201cI absolutely love talking to real people about real problems. People who aren\u2019t just complaining but are actively looking for real solutions to better their lives. American families and our core values are under attack. I love this country, and I believe family is the backbone of our society. Together, we are going to stand strong and fight for the very soul and sanity of America and get things that matter back on track.\u201d<\/p>\n And what to do about it<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":14999,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[186,187],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14923","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spring-summe-2024","category-spring-summer-2024-features"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14923","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14923"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14923\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15279,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14923\/revisions\/15279"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14999"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Weve-Got-Issues-cover-650.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nDeja View for Baby Boomers \u2026 Sort Of<\/h3>\n
Dr. Phil\u2019s Take on What\u2019s Going On<\/h3>\n
\n
A Lifetime of Experiences Leading Up to Latest Book<\/h3>\n
<\/a><\/a>We\u2019ve Got Issues \u2026 How You Can Stand Strong for America\u2019s Soul and Sanity<\/em> <\/a>by Phillip C. McGraw, Ph.D. Published by Simon & Schuster \/ Threshold Editions, \u00a9 2024.<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"