Style, Substance, and Standpoint: A Feminist Critique of Bernie Siegel’s Rhetoric of Self-Healing

Abstract

Using standpoint theory, the essay argues that Dr. Bernie Siegel’s self-healing rhetoric in three published self-help texts reflects the experience and perspective of the dominant social group and marginalizes members of less powerful groups. The problematic tension between the texts’ feminine rhetorical style and the dominant-group focus of the content is explored and its implications discussed.