Save yourself some money. Don't hire grief counselors, healers or traumatologists.

Are Americans unhappy, emotionally challenged and dysfunctional? Many "experts," all too ready to offer their services to personnel departments in industry and government, say yes. But employers should think twice before crediting the claims of self-esteem builders, emotional intelligence coaches and grief counselors. These helping professionals may be wasting precious time and money on problems that don't exist.

Myth: Healthy self-esteem is indispensable to a good life.

Reality: Self-esteem is an ill-defined notion. No one knows how to measure it; no one knows whether it can be learned or taught. The connection between self-esteem, good character traits and life success is unclear. There have always been men and women of immense accomplishment who are humble and self-deprecating. On the other hand, it is not uncommon for burglars, con artists and even murderers to think very well of themselves.

Myth: "Emotional illiteracy" plagues the American workplace.

Reality: With the appearance of Daniel Goleman's 1998 book Working With Emotional Intelligence, a cottage industry was born. Each year businesses spend millions of dollars training managers to improve their "emotional IQ." Companies heavily invested in "EI," such as American Express and Johnson & Johnson, should take a careful look at a fair-minded, meticulously researched book published in 2002 by MIT Press: Emotional Intelligence: Science and Myth. Its three scientist-authors report, "At present, there are no convincing empirical data supporting the use of EI measures for purposes of occupational and career assessment." They cast doubt on whether EI can be measured or taught--or whether it even exists as a discrete capacity separate from intelligence. The EI empire appears to be little more than a clever repackaging of Dale Carnegie's homespun How to Win Friends and Influence People--with PowerPoints and neurobabble added to give it the patina of genuine science.

Myth: Post-traumatic stress disorder is a typical reaction to disaster.

Reality: A harrowing, life-threatening event in your workplace or community will produce painful memories, anxiety or fearfulness. This is not a disorder, it is normal. While some people may require professional attention, most are able to manage on their own. Moreover, it appears that for many, the most salient and enduring effect of a life-shattering experience is not mental illness, but increased personal strength.

Myth: Grief counselors are critical to coping with loss.

Reality: Most people suffer loss without experiencing morbid grief. The most effective support comes from family, friends, colleagues and clergy; grief counseling from strangers can easily do more harm than good. (Another myth to remove: There are not five stages of grief--denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Everyone grieves in different ways.)

Myth: Immense segments of the American population are plagued by depression, anxiety and despair.

Reality: A small percentage of the population suffer from mental disorders, but the vast majority are fine and--dare one say it--not unhappy. Last fall the Gallup Poll released results of its annual mental health survey. Eighty-eight percent of Americans describe their own emotional well-being as excellent or good. This is consistent with findings of the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago that has 90% of Americans describing themselves as happy with their lives. P.S. Teens are doing fine, too.

To challenge these myths is not to suggest that Americans exist in a state of perpetual contentment. It is human nature to sometimes feel sad, frustrated, angry, resentful or insecure. But human nature is not a pathology in need of a cure. On the other hand, companies guided by overworkshopped managers dutifully "dialoguing with themselves" and "monitoring their feelings from moment to moment" are in clear need of some serious intervention.

Christina Hoff Sommers is the coauthor of One Nation Under Therapy: How The Helping Culture Is Eroding Self-Reliance (St. Martin's Press) and a resident scholar at AEI.