Mars and Venus: Unequal planets

Self-help books, a pervasive and influential aspect of society, can have a beneficial or detrimental effect on the therapeutic process. This article d escribes a thematic analysis and feminist critique of the best-selling self -help book Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus. This analysis revealed that the author's materials are inconsistent with significant family therap y research findings and key principles of feminist theories. His descriptio ns of each gender and his recommendations for improving relationships serve to endorse and encourage power differentials between women and men.