Why Change Is Hard

Why Change is Hard challenges the relentless and dominant cultural narrative that we are the sole authors of our selves, and that we alone, if we work hard enough, can rewrite our stories as we choose. Rather, this volume focuses on how those close to us and pervasive cultural narratives are major players in the project of identity development. Through this lens, the book asks the question of whether and how a person can change their story. While acknowledging the possibility of self-motivated change, this volume will argue that only when we understand the obstacle that lies in the cultural ideology of individualism can we begin to help people to change the stories that have not been serving them.