John Bradshaw, "whose ideas about family dysfunction and the damaged 'inner child' concealed within most adults made him one of the most popular and influential self-help evangelists of the 1990s," died May 8, the New York Times reported. He was 82. In his PBS TV shows, lectures and books, "he argued that millions of adults fail to achieve healthy relationships because they have never come to terms with the shame, self-blame and 'toxic guilt' caused by parental abuse, physical or emotional."
Bradshaw's books, which have sold more than 12 million copies, include Healing the Shame that Binds You; Post-Romantic Stress Disorder: What to Do When the Honeymoon Is Over; The Family: A New Way of Creating Solid Self-Esteem; Homecoming: Reclaiming and Championing Your Inner Child; and Creating Love: The Next Great Stage of Growth.