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Taming Your Inner Brat
By Pauline Wallin. Oregon: Beyond Words Publishing, 2001, 254pp., $14.95
Taming Your Inner Brat, by Pauline Wallin, is an enjoyable book. It is such a humorous and conversational book that while reading, I almost forgot that I have an inner brat that could benefit from the book’s tips and techniques. This book states that it was written for those who have self-defeating behaviors. Within the text, topics such as overeating, gambling, smoking, and other habits that people try to abate were discussed. This book was so non-threatening and playful that it could apply to just about anyone who has a behavior that they would like to learn how to get under their control. It is through the use of humor, personal examples, and mini-case studies that this book allows and encourages its readers to learn about their “inner brat.” This text also encourages the readers to understand the triggers that coax their “inner brat” to come out and play, how to take responsibility for the actions that subsequently follow their “inner brat’s” appearance, and techniques to try to prevent the speedy emergence of the “brat” and the behaviors from occurring in the future.
Wallin spends the first couple of chapters acquainting the reader with the concept of an “inner brat.” It is described as an “inner force [that] acts like an immature, spoiled child who demands immediate attention and satisfaction— a brat” (p. 2). The description continues as “a remnant of our early childhood that will always be with us” (p.12). Following the introduction and explanations for the “inner brat,” some of the common triggers for encouraging its behaviors are discussed. The book takes plenty of opportunities to reassure the reader that they will not declare multiple personalities by admitting to having an “inner brat,” as well as to remind the reader that the “inner brat” is an entity that is a part of them. Wallin cites as one reason for using the idea of an inner brat as “an efficient shortcut for defining your problem, deciding what to do about it, and acting on that decision” (p. 13). This reasoning is discussed as aiding the person in seeing the problem and taking a step back from themselves psychologically in order to evaluate the situation, as is often the case in therapy.
Taming Your Inner Brat seems like it would be useful for those who enter into psychotherapy willingly and voluntarily. It may prove to be helpful for those who want to make a change within themselves, but might not be able to take the step back from themselves psychologically. The humor and sense of camaraderie that the reader develops with the author may help to encourage a slightly more critical eye at their behaviors than possible before. This may be especially helpful for those who have already identified their problem behaviors and want to try to change these negative parts due to their unhappiness with the way others respond to them. By identifying with some of the people showcased within the book even slightly, the reader may feel less isolated in their behavior and may be more accepting of a technique to attempt to change them. This book may not be appropriate for those clients who seem like an early termination risk or who enter into psychotherapy with a preconceived notion of their diagnosis based on pop psychology. The techniques and suggestions are simplistic and good to have, but their effects could be amplified with the guidance of a psychotherapist. While this text explains some theory and diagnostic criteria, it also explains that the scope is limited and suggests help from a trained professional if certain impairments, symptoms, or difficulties emerge.
This book is divided into 13 chapters. The first couple are devoted to defining the “inner brat,” the next chapters give examples and suggestions on the forms your “inner brat” may appear as, and the final chapters are devoted to techniques to help control this “brat.” The final chapter is a review of some of the key terms and concepts explored in the preceding chapters. Each chapter begins with a brief overview of the preceding chapter. The strengths of these synopses become evident if the book is assigned chapters at a time or if long spans of time elapse between chapters while reading the book through. They might seem a little redundant if the person is eager to read the book and tries to finish it in a couple of sittings.
Many of the strengths of the text have already been mentioned. They include the numerous real world examples, the humor employed, and the conversational tone throughout. Another strength is the fact that the author tries to normalize the existence of an “inner brat,” while helping people claim responsibility for the “bratty behaviors,” as well providing some information on when these behaviors might be more than “bratty.” Additionally, there is some psychological jargon used within the text. The positive aspect of this fact is that in this text, the jargon is defined and may serve as a resource for the client. There is also mention of and some discussion of theories and studies in order to introduce ideas surrounding the origin of the “inner brat” and the basis for the techniques to help control it. This includes examples of irrational thoughts from the work of Albert Ellis and cognitive distortions from the work of Aaron Beck. These aspects give the book a professional, intellectual tone that when added with the humor can facilitate the client in feeling that they are actually working to change instead of just reading about what other people have experienced.
Furthermore, this book can help its readers learn a little more about themselves. Chapter seven consists of an admittedly unscientific, yet amusing and insightful quiz testing how strong a person’s “inner brat” may be. While this quiz presents scenarios and choices that may not apply to each reader, it allows readers time reflect on how they would act or how they have reacted in the past, given that situation. Lastly, this text provides some foundations upon which the psychotherapist can build in the context of therapy. There are tips for relaxation techniques as well as tips on how to be more introspective. These can function as topics of dialogue between the psychotherapist and the client to identify situations in which the techniques worked or didn’t as well as the difficulty or ease associated with a client’s ability to engage in introspection within different areas of their lives. Within all of these strengths, one weakness could be identified. This weakness could be the author’s political and social commentary within a few of the examples. This can be witnessed in chapter 6 while the author explained her thoughts on how “we got so bratty” through technology, child-rearing, and legal precedence (p. 103). This can only be a weakness if the reader forgets the reason for the commentary and finds themselves disagreeing with the political or societal viewpoint of the author.
Overall, Taming Your Inner Brat would be an excellent choice for bibliotherapy with clients who need support in their attempts at introspection. The length, the ability to assign different chapters at different times, and the summaries at the beginning of the chapters succeed in making the read efficient and informative. The language is not complicated and is conversational in tone, allowing for the reader to feel a connection with the author. The fact that the author uses herself and her “inner brat” as examples makes acknowledging an “inner brat” and taking responsibility for one’s actions both normalizing and less threatening.