Aric Sigman – författare

The figures are frightening: Britons currently spend an average of four hours a day watching television - that's more than a 24-hour day per week. Television has become our national obsession: it is our main source of common experience; it affects the way we think and act and, according to psychologist and broadcaster Dr Aric Sigman, its hold over our lives is so significant that, in some families, the television has greater influence over children than parents do.In this insightful and shockingly perceptive assessment of our nation's relationship with the small screen, Dr Aric Sigman reveals for the first time the alarming reality of what television is actually doing to us physically, emotionally, intellectually and socially. He provides evidence as to how television contributes to the rising global obesity rate by actually slowing our metabolic rate, stunts our children's brain development, and is responsible for over half of all rapes and murders in the industrialised world. Yet Remotely Controlled is much more than an indictment of the dangers of watching television. Sigman aims to draw our awareness to the glaring imbalance in our lives and show us how we can re-establish control away from the remote control. This book is a compelling read which will cause us all to take a step back and reassess our viewing habits.

Girls and women of all ages have never been more unhappy with their bodies. And research shows that slim women are often no more satisfied with their bodies than overweight ones. Forty years after the debut of body politics, fat is more of a feminist issue than ever.So why has body dissatisfaction become the norm? Why are children as young as 3 years of age worried about their appearance? Why are eating disorders, weight and shape concerns affecting so many women? And what can we do to deal with the negative effects this is having on people's lives?Leading psychologist Dr Aric Sigman tackles body dissatisfaction in a direct, uncompromising way, examining the leading research, identifying the key issues and contributing personal experiences. And he calls on the untapped army of husbands, partners and fathers to come out fighting to help change the way girls and women feel. The Body Wars also offers clear, practical solutions for individuals, parents and society to help reduce and prevent what is fast becoming a world-wide epidemic.

In the space of a few decades the way we parent has changed dramatically. Something we once did intuitively has become the subject of political fashion, guided by experts. As parents we are older and more time-poor than ever before, with the highest proportion of single-parent households in history. Our children are now spoiled in ways that go far beyond materialism. But they are suffering to a degree we never anticipated: we now have the highest rates of child depression, underage pregnancy and violent and anti-social behaviour since records began. Yet adults, at every level, have retreated from authority and in doing so have robbed our children of their basic supporting structures. In this book, Dr Sigman takes issues by the scruff of the neck, among them children's sense of entitlement, the effects of TV and computers, single-parent homes and 'blended' families, parental guilt and the compensation culture. He offers a clear practical message to us all - parents, grandparents, teachers and policy-makers alike - as to how we can redress the status quo, redefine our roles and together cultivate happier and better-behaved children.

A fascinating read, part polemic, part practical, that questions why our authority as parents has been emasculated. It offers much-needed ideas, answers and direction for parents and all those involved in bringing up the next generation.