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Why is coaching a dangerous illusion?

Personal development as practiced by coaches consists of applying conditioning methods, developed to improve the performance of athletes, with a view to improving social success.

In the world of sport, coaching aims to optimize motivation during training through conditioning and limit the effect of stress on the day of the competition. This form of conditioning is productive in the world of sport, because a sport is a game, with simple rules and a structured and predictable course. Conversely, in the real world, conditioning has a huge counterpart which is the inability to effectively take into account new facts. Put more simply, conditioning is a form of robotization of the individual.

If these methods work well in terms of social success, and therefore are widely used in the world of work, it is because they lead the individual to practice the game of alliances without restraint. The practical aspect leads to renouncing sincerity, in favor of a simple attitude consistent with the social expectations of the target environment. In this sense, the use of coaching in the world of work can be seen as a sort of Faustian pact.

The use of personal development through coaching therefore corresponds to abandoning the objective of succeeding in life in favor of simply succeeding in life.

On the other hand, personal development conveys the myth of an all-powerful individual, who only has to free himself from the constraints he imposes on himself, and choose what he wants to do with his life. . It is often taught by individuals privileged by providence, who do not even realize that their personal experience cannot be generalized.

Finally, it ignores the primordial effect of the infernal triangle of cognitive dissonance presented in the question 'What is cognitive dissonance?'.

Go deeper

Start with the question 'If they want to succeed, people just have to work. We are in a democracy!' which specifies the limits of our capacity for action.
Refer to question 'How to succeed in life?'
Watch the report The business of happiness by Claire Alet and Jean-Christophe Ribot, broadcast by Arte, and probably available on YouTube.
Complete with the question 'Put an end to the abusive use of psychotropic drugs and psychotherapies'.
Finally, end with the question 'Why is politics important?'.