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{{Short description|American author and relationship counselor}} |
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'''John Gray''' writes on the fields of [[Interpersonal relationship|relationships]] and personal growth and is best known as the [[author]] of several "[[Popular psychology | pop psychology]]" [[book]]s offering relationship advice. The most prominent of these is the [[1992]] book ''[[Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus]]''. |
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{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2013}} |
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{{Infobox person |
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|name = John Gray |
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|image = John-Gray-author-in-2016.jpg |
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|caption = Gray in 2016 |
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|alt = A photo of John Gray in 2016 |
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|birth_name = |
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|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1951|12|28}} |
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|birth_place = [[Houston]], [[Texas]], U.S. |
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|other_names = |
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|notable works = ''[[Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus]]'' |
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|alma mater = [[Maharishi International University]], [[Columbia Pacific University]] |
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|employer = |
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|occupation = Author |
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|term = |
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|predecessor = |
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|successor = |
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|party = |
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|boards = |
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|spouse = [[Barbara De Angelis]] <small>(div. 1984)</small><br>Bonnie Gray <small>(1986–2018; her death)</small><br>Wang Lin (Viki) <small>(2020-present)</small> |
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|partner = |
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}} |
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'''John Gray''' (born December 28, 1951) is an American relationship counselor, lecturer, and author. In 1969, he began a nine-year association with [[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi]] before beginning his career as an author and personal relationship counselor. In 1992 he published the book ''[[Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus]]'', which became a long-term best seller and formed the central theme of his subsequent books and career activities. His books have sold millions of copies. |
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Gray was born in [[Houston, Texas]], in [[1951]]. In [[1997]], he received a Ph.D at [[Columbia Pacific University]]. He was married to fellow self-help author [[Barbara De Angelis]], but divorced in [[1984]]. He is currently married to Bonnie Gray and has three daughters, Lauren, Julie and Shannon. |
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==Early life and education== |
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His parents were both [[Christians]] and taught him [[Yoga]] and took him to visit [[Maharishi|Indian Saint]] [[Paramahansa Yogananda|Yogananda]] during his childhood. ''[[Autobiography of a Yogi|The Autobiography of A Yogi]]'' inspired him greatly later in life.<ref name="marsvenus.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.marsvenus.com/john-grays-life-story.htm|title=MarsVenus.com – John Gray – Life Story|website=www.marsvenus.com|access-date=January 5, 2015|archive-date=June 17, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190617223013/https://www.marsvenus.com/john-grays-life-story.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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He received a bachelor's and master's degree in the [[Science of Creative Intelligence]], though sources vary on whether these degrees were received from either the non-accredited [[Transcendental Meditation movement#Educational institutions|Maharishi European Research University]] (MERU) in Switzerland or the accredited [[Maharishi International University]] in [[Fairfield, Iowa]].<ref name="Time">{{cite magazine |last=Gleick |first=Elizabeth |title=Tower of Psychobabble |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,986547-1,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090726144415/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,986547-1,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 26, 2009 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=June 16, 1997 |access-date=May 27, 2018}}</ref><ref name=Hampson>{{cite news|last=Hampson|first=Sara|title=Looking to God for Relationship Advice|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/looking-to-god-for-relationship-advice/article1051601/|access-date=April 4, 2013|newspaper=The Globe and Mail|date=February 4, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=LOST IN SPACE AUTHOR ARGUES MEN, WOMEN STILL NO CLOSER THAN MARS, VENUS |first=Mary |last=Bridgman |work=Columbus Dispatch|location=Columbus, Ohio|date=October 14, 1996|page=01.B}}</ref> |
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==Teachings== |
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Gray's books teach that men and women are intrinsically different in their psychology, and that harmony between the sexes is achieved by recognising and accepting these differences rather than trying to erase them. Critics have accused him of over-simplifying human psychology into stereotypes that fail to adequately describe many people. |
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Gray received an unaccredited PhD in 1982 from [[Columbia Pacific University]] (CPU), a now-defunct [[Correspondence course|correspondence institution]].<ref name="GM">{{cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080204.wlhampson04/BNStory/lifeMain/home|title=Looking to God for relationship advice|last=Hampton|first=Sarah|date=February 4, 2008|publisher=The Globe and Mail|access-date=September 30, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080209113116/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080204.wlhampson04/BNStory/lifeMain/home|archive-date=February 9, 2008|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="LA">{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/59606794.html?dids=59606794:59606794&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Sep+12%2C+1994&author=ABIGAIL+GOLDMAN&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=Mars%2C+Venus+.+.+.+and+Cupid+Men+and+women+seem+to+be+from+different+planets.+John+Gray%27s+message%3A+Come+back+to+Earth+and+deal+with+it.&pqatl=google|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130201103624/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/59606794.html?dids=59606794:59606794&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Sep+12,+1994&author=ABIGAIL+GOLDMAN&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=Mars,+Venus+.+.+.+and+Cupid+Men+and+women+seem+to+be+from+different+planets.+John+Gray's+message:+Come+back+to+Earth+and+deal+with+it.&pqatl=google|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 1, 2013|title=Mars, Venus... and Cupid Men and women seem to be from different planets. John Gray's message: Come back to Earth and deal with it.|last=Goldman |first=Abigail|date=September 12, 1994|newspaper=LA Times|access-date=September 30, 2008}}</ref> In 2002, he received an honorary doctorate from [[Governors State University]] in Illinois after he delivered their commencement address.<ref>"[https://opus.govst.edu/commencements/113/ Honorary Degree Citation: John Gray]" (2003), Governors State University.</ref> |
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==Credentials== |
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After high school he attended St. Thomas University and the [[University of Texas System | University of Texas]], but did not receive degrees from these institutions. He lived as a [[Hindu]] [[monk]] for nine years in [[Switzerland]] and studied with the [[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi]]. He received diplomas called [[Bachelor of Arts | BA]] and [[Master's degree | MA]] in "Creative Intelligence" from the Maharishi European Research University. In 1997, he acquired a Ph.D at Columbia Pacific University. |
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==Career== |
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In 1969, Gray attended a [[Transcendental Meditation]] lecture. He became a [[celibate]] and personal assistant to [[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi]] for nine years.<ref name="Time"/><ref name="GM"/><ref name="Guardian">{{cite news |last=Beaumont-Thomas |first=Ben |date=February 14, 2017 |title=Interview to John Gray. How we made Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus |work=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2017/feb/14/how-we-made-men-are-from-mars-women-are-from-venus-john-gray-interview |access-date=May 27, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Burt">The chronology of American literature: America's literary achievements, By Daniel S. Burt, page 696, New England Publishing Associates 2004,</ref> |
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Gray's books and other publications typically refer to him as 'Doctor John Gray' or 'John Gray, [[Doctor of Philosophy | Ph.D]]'. According to his website, he earned a Ph.D. in psychology at [[Columbia Pacific University]][http://www.mars-venus-counselors.com/html/gray.htm] - a [[correspondence school]] that was forcibly closed by the California Department of Consumer Affairs in [[2001]] after a judgement that found that CPU "awarded excessive credit... to many students" and "failed to meet various requirements for issuing Ph.D. degrees"[http://www.dca.ca.gov/press_releases/2000113.htm]. Gray's website[http://www.marsvenus.com/degreeinfo.php] notes that degrees issued by CPU before [[June 25]] [[1997]] are legally valid (although it is not clear whether these degrees were ever ''[[School accreditation | accredited]]''). Gray's site further claims that "at the time John Gray graduated and received his degree CPU was a highly respected school in its field"; however, in 1997 [[California]]'s Deputy [[Attorney General]] [[Asher Rubin]] called it "a diploma mill which has been preying on California consumers for too many years"[http://www.ptreyeslight.com/stories/dec24/chileno.html]. |
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===Publications=== |
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In 1992, Gray published ''Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus'', which has sold more than 15 million copies<ref name="Guardian"/><ref>{{cite web |title=HarperCollins Catalogue [25th Anniversary] |url=https://www.harpercollins.com.au/9780007152599/ |year=2017 |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |access-date=November 18, 2018}}</ref> and, according to a [[CNN]] report, it was the "highest ranked work of non-fiction" of the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web |title=Grisham ranks as top-selling author of decade |url=http://archives.cnn.com/1999/books/news/12/31/1990.sellers/index.html |work=[[CNN.com]] |date=December 31, 1999 |access-date=November 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120908181659/http://articles.cnn.com/1999-12-31/entertainment/1990.sellers_1_book-sales-cumulative-sales-copies?_s=PM:books |archive-date=September 8, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The book has been published in more than 40 languages.<ref name="Time"/><ref>[http://www.hayhouse.com/authorbio.php?id=120 Hay House author bio] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111162358/http://www.hayhouse.com/authorbio.php?id=120 |date=November 11, 2013 }}. Retrieved July 2011.</ref> |
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===Business ventures=== |
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In 1997, Gray began opening Mars & Venus Counseling Centers, where he trains therapists in his "Mars & Venus technique" in exchange for a one-time licensing fee and monthly "royalty payments". [[Dorothy Cantor]], a former president of the [[American Psychological Association]], has questioned the ethics of creating a franchise for what is essentially a therapeutic process.<ref name="Time" /> |
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In 1997, Gray began marketing his products through Genesis Intermedia, a company led by Ramy El-Batrawi. According to their SEC filing, "A substantial portion of our product revenue has come from our Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus product series authored by John Gray, Ph.D." On December 31, 1997, Genesis sold 116,504 shares of its common stock to Dr. John Gray for $900,000. On November 1, 1998, 29,126 of those shares were surrendered. Royalties paid to Dr. Gray for the years ended December 31, 1998, 1997 and 1996 were $0, $50,101, and $423,207, respectively. There were no royalties paid to Dr. Gray during the three months ended March 31, 1999 and 1998.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1071522/000104746999024235/0001047469-99-024235.txt|title=SEC Archives|website=Sec.gov}}</ref> in 2004, a massive class action lawsuit was filed against Genesis Intermedia for stock price manipulation. El-Batrawi settled with the SEC and was barred from acting as an officer or director of a public company for a period of five years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sec.gov/litigation/litreleases/2010/lr21475.htm|title=Securities and Exchange Commission v. Ramy Y. El-Batrawi, GenesisIntermedia, Inc., Ultimate Holdings, Ltd., Adnan M. Khashoggi, Richard J. Evangelista, Wayne Breedon, and Douglas E. Jacobson, Civil Action No. CV-06-2247 (MRP) (C.D. Ca.)|date=April 2, 2010|website=Sec.gov}}</ref> |
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Gray has been marketing dietary supplements through his Web site since at least 2005. In 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ordered him to stop making illegal claims for several products: 2-AEP Membrane Complex, Ionic Silver Water, L-Glutathione, Liposomal DHA – Ultimate Omega-3 Brain Support, Liposomal Methyl B12/Folate, NAC N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine, and Vectomega.<ref>[https://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/ucm630570.htm Warning letter to John Gray’s Mars Venus LLC, 2/5/19]</ref> |
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Gray is also an early investor in YayYo, Inc, a rental car business for the ride-sharing industry operated by Ramy El-Batrawi. Gray owns 21.44% through his Gray Mars Venus Trust.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1691077/000161577416008925/s104953_partiiandiii.htm#a_013|title=UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION|website=www.sec.gov|access-date=2019-03-19}}</ref> Ramy El-Batrawi dies of undisclosed causes on April 23, 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=News |first=Hollywood LA |date=2024-04-24 |title=Ramy El-Batrawi Died in L.A. |url=https://www.hollywoodlanews.com/ramy-el-batrawi-dead/ |access-date=2024-04-24 |website=Hollywood LA News |language=en-US}}</ref> |
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===Interviews and appearances=== |
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Gray has made appeared on multiple talk shows, including ''[[The Oprah Winfrey Show|Oprah]]'', ''[[The Phil Donahue Show]]'',<ref name="Guardian"/> and ''[[Larry King Live]].''{{Cn|date=September 2023}} |
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In a June 2014 interview with [[Agence France-Presse]], Gray was quoted as saying with regard to [[feminism]], "The reason why there's so much divorce is that feminism promotes independence in women. I'm very happy for women to find greater independence, but when you go too far in that direction, then who's at home?"<ref name=2014AFPInterview>{{cite web |last1=Staff |title='Mars, Venus' author warns over sex in online world |url=http://www.afp.com/en/node/2470223 |website=[[AFP.com]] |publisher=[[Agence France-Presse]] |access-date=9 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140609181028/http://www.afp.com/en/node/2470223 |archive-date=June 9, 2014|df=mdy-all}}</ref> He also stated that "feminism in America holds back sales of [his] books", while other parts of the world - he cited Australia and Latin America notably - are more in tune with his basic message.<ref name=2014NZHerald>{{cite web|last1=Staff|title=Feminism and free porn are ruining relationships - author|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=11268800|website=[[The New Zealand Herald]]|publisher=New Zealand Herald|access-date=9 June 2014}}</ref> With regard to [[online pornography]] Gray stated, "With free internet porn, there's a massive addiction happening," adding that there are "just millions and millions of people... experiencing their sexual satisfactions through total fantasy. The effect that porn has on the brain is like taking heroin." With regard to the rise of infidelity sites like [[Ashley Madison]] and [[Arrangement Finders]] he states, "When you have impersonal sex.... 'It's OK, here are these cheating wives, men, they want to have sex with you'... So you go have sex with someone that you don't know and someone you don't love... impersonal sex does promote addiction to sex," he adds, "it's along the same line of pornography."<ref name=2014AFPInterview/><ref name=2014AVNGrayInterviews>{{cite web|last1=Staff|title='Men Are From Mars' Author Blames Free Online Porn, Feminists|url=http://business.avn.com/articles/video/Men-Are-From-Mars-Author-Blames-Free-Online-Porn-Feminists-563972.html|website=AVN.com|publisher=Adult Video News|access-date=9 June 2014}}</ref> |
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==Criticism== |
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In 2002, author [[Julia T. Wood]] published a critical response to Gray's portrayals of men and women in ''Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus''.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Wood |first=Julia T. |author-link=Julia T. Wood |title=A Critical Response to John Gray's Mars and Venus Portrayals of Men and Women |journal=Southern Communication Journal |location=[[Memphis, Tennessee]] |volume=67 |issue=2 |date=Winter 2002 |pages=201–210 |doi=10.1080/10417940209373229 |s2cid=146380651 |oclc=936904728}}</ref> In 2007 [[Deborah Cameron (linguist)|Deborah Cameron]] published a book-length critique of Gray, and other self-help ventures premised on gender difference stereotypes, in ''[[The Myth of Mars and Venus|The Myth of Mars and Venus: Do Men and Women Really Speak Different Languages?]]''<ref>Cameron, Deborah. The Myth of Mars and Venus: Do Men and Women Really Speak Different Languages? Oxford University Press. 2007.</ref> |
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Gray was accused of borrowing from the work of author [[Deborah Tannen]] and he acknowledges some similarities but says, "I was teaching those ideas before I'd heard of her" and that he did not read her book.<ref>Conversation with HarperCollins editor Nancy Peske, 1994</ref> Other critics have accused Gray of limiting human psychology to [[stereotypes]].<ref name="GM"/><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2002/feb/14/20020214-035728-1618r/ |title=Mars and Venus at work; Critics aim to bring Gray back down to Earth |last=Murphy |first=Lauren |date=February 14, 2002 |newspaper=[[The Washington Times]] |access-date=January 7, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PBPB&p_theme=pbpb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EAF4079E9C4612F&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |title=Can't Understand Your Mate? It's Time To Align Your Planets |date=November 1, 1998 |newspaper=[[The Palm Beach Post]] |access-date=October 17, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=John Gray Fires Back at Critic Who Questioned His Credentials |date=November 20, 2003 |newspaper=[[Inside Edition]] }}</ref><ref name="Premier Speakers web site">{{cite web|url=http://premierespeakers.com/john_gray/bio|title=John Gray - Bio - Premiere Motivational Speakers Bureau |website=premierespeakers.com}}</ref> |
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==Personal life== |
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Gray married [[self-help]] author [[Barbara De Angelis]]. They divorced in 1984. Gray married his second wife, Bonnie, in 1986; she died of cancer in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bradkearns.com/2019/02/15/johngray/|title=John Gray's wife Bonnie Gray has died of cancer|last=Gray|first=John|date=February 15, 2019|website=Brad Kearns}}</ref>Gray married his third wife, Wang Lin, also known as Viki Gray, on May 4, 2020 in Marin County, California. She was his personal guide during his speaking tours in China.<ref> {{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hgvum96JuYs |website=www.youtube.com/|title=Dr. John Gray returns LIVE in studio for Valentines w/ Dr. Marissa|last=Gray\first=John\date=February 13, 2024\website=YouTube}}</ref> |
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Gray has a daughter and two stepdaughters.<ref name="Time"/><ref name="MonkQuote">{{cite web |title=John Gray: Biography of John Gray |url=http://www.askmarsvenus.com/dr-john-gray.php |website=www.askmarsvenus.com}}</ref><ref name="GM"/> His youngest daughter Lauren markets the Mars Venus brand through her own videos on self-help relationship advice.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.marsvenus.com/|title=Mars Venus|website=MarsVenus}}</ref> |
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==Books and other publications== |
==Books and other publications== |
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* 1992: ''[[Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus]]'' |
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* What You Feel You Can Heal (Heart Publishing [[1984]]) |
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* 1993: ''What You Feel You Can Heal'' |
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* [[Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus]] (HarperCollins [[1992]]) |
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* 1994: ''What Your Mother Couldn't Tell You and Your Father Didn't Know'' |
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* Men, Women and Relationships (Beyond Words Publishing [[1993]]) |
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* Mars and Venus |
* 1994: ''Mars and Venus in Love'' |
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* Mars and Venus |
* 1995: ''[[Mars and Venus in the Bedroom]]'' |
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* Mars and Venus |
* 1997: ''Mars and Venus on a Date'' |
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* Mars and Venus |
* 1997: ''Mars and Venus Starting Over'' |
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* 1999: ''How To Get What You Want and Want What You Have'' |
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* Mars and Venus Starting Over (HarperCollins [[1998]]) |
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* 2000: ''Children Are from Heaven'' |
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* Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus Book of Days (HarperCollins [[1998]]) |
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* 2000: ''Mars and Venus: 365 Ways to Keep Passion Alive'' |
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* How To Get What You Want and Want What You Have (HarperCollins [[1999]]) |
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* ''Men, Women and Relationships'' |
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* Children Are from Heaven (HarperCollins [[1999]]) |
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* ''Mars and Venus Together Forever: A Practical Guide to Creating Lasting Intimacy'' |
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* Practical Miracles for Mars and Venus (HarperCollins [[2000]]) |
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* ''Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus Book of Days'' |
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* How To Get What You Want at Work (HarperCollins [[2002]]) |
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* ''Practical Miracles for Mars and Venus: Nine Principles for Lasting Love, Increasing Success, and Vibrant Health in the Twenty-first Century'' |
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* Truly Mars & Venus (HarperCollins [[2003]]) |
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* |
* 2002: ''Mars and Venus in the Workplace'', {{ISBN|0732911141}} |
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* ''Truly Mars & Venus'' |
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* 2003: ''The Mars & Venus Diet and Exercise Solution'' |
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* 2007: ''Why Mars and Venus Collide: Improving Relationships by Understanding How Men and Women Cope Differently with Stress'' |
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* 2010: ''Venus on Fire, Mars on Ice – Hormonal Balance – The Key to Life, Love, and Energy'' |
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* ''75 Ways To Say I Love You'' (co-author Darren Stephens), {{ISBN|9780957974012}} |
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* ''How To Release Stress Through Relaxation'' (co-author Darren Stephens), {{ISBN|9780957974005}} |
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* ''Work with Me: The 8 Blind Spots Between Men and Women in Business'' (co-author Barbara Annis), {{ISBN|9780230341906}} |
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* 2017: ''Beyond Mars and Venus'' |
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==See also== |
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* [[Essentialism]] |
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* [[Symposium (Plato)#Aristophanes|''Symposium'' (Plato)#Aristophanes]] |
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==References== |
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{{reflist|30em}} |
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==Further reading== |
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*{{cite news |last=Mead |first=Rebecca |title=Is John Gray from Mars? |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6-QCAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA66 |work=[[New York (magazine)|New York Magazine]] |volume=28 |issue=37 |pages=66−69 |date=September 18, 1995 |access-date=May 27, 2018}} |
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*{{cite news|url=http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19960329&slug=2321561|title=Promoting Closeness – John Gray Of 'Venus/Mars' Fame Is A One-Man Advice Industry|last=Lacitis|first=Erik|date=March 29, 1996|newspaper=Seattle Times|access-date=October 17, 2008}} |
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*{{cite news|url=http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19980224&slug=2736199|title='Mars, Venus' Author Finds His Messages Hitting Home|last=Aamidor|first=Abe|date=February 24, 1998|newspaper=[[The Indianapolis Star|Indianapolis Star And News]]|access-date=October 17, 2008}} |
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*{{cite news|url=http://www.newstatesman.com/199904020013 |title=We are fixated on the idea that we have to be in a couple; nobody is interested in the beauty of being alone |last=Odone |first=Cristina |date=April 2, 1999 |magazine=[[New Statesman]] |access-date=October 17, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517134152/http://www.newstatesman.com/199904020013 |archive-date=May 17, 2008 }} |
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*{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2005/feb/10/internationaleducationnews.highereducation|title=A varying degree|last=Goldacre|first=Ben|date=February 10, 2005|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=October 17, 2008}} |
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*{{cite news|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/relationships/back-to-mars-and-venus/2008/01/31/1201714130448.html|title=Back to Mars and Venus|last=Guinness|first=Daphne|date=January 31, 2008|newspaper=[[The Age]]|access-date=October 17, 2008}} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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* [https://marsvenus.com/john-gray/ John Gray's Bio] at official website |
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*[http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/women_rebuttal_from_uranus/ The Rebuttal from Uranus]: site critical of Gray's methodology and credentials. |
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* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160109084020/http://netnotes.altcpualumni.org/?page_id=8 John Gray, Columbia Pacific University, alumni recognition] |
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*[http://www.rickross.com/groups/gray.html Rick Ross Institute] |
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* [https://archive.today/20130131091125/http://www.parentbooksummaries.com/children-are-from-heaven/ Summary of ''Children Are from Heaven''] |
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* {{IMDb name}} |
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Latest revision as of 05:58, 28 July 2024
John Gray | |
|---|---|
 Gray in 2016 | |
| Born | December 28, 1951 |
| Alma mater | Maharishi International University, Columbia Pacific University |
| Occupation | Author |
| Notable work | Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus |
| Spouse(s) | Barbara De Angelis (div. 1984) Bonnie Gray (1986–2018; her death) Wang Lin (Viki) (2020-present) |
John Gray (born December 28, 1951) is an American relationship counselor, lecturer, and author. In 1969, he began a nine-year association with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi before beginning his career as an author and personal relationship counselor. In 1992 he published the book Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, which became a long-term best seller and formed the central theme of his subsequent books and career activities. His books have sold millions of copies.
Early life and education
[edit]His parents were both Christians and taught him Yoga and took him to visit Indian Saint Yogananda during his childhood. The Autobiography of A Yogi inspired him greatly later in life.[1]
He received a bachelor's and master's degree in the Science of Creative Intelligence, though sources vary on whether these degrees were received from either the non-accredited Maharishi European Research University (MERU) in Switzerland or the accredited Maharishi International University in Fairfield, Iowa.[2][3][4]
Gray received an unaccredited PhD in 1982 from Columbia Pacific University (CPU), a now-defunct correspondence institution.[5][6] In 2002, he received an honorary doctorate from Governors State University in Illinois after he delivered their commencement address.[7]
Career
[edit]In 1969, Gray attended a Transcendental Meditation lecture. He became a celibate and personal assistant to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi for nine years.[2][5][8][9]
Publications
[edit]In 1992, Gray published Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, which has sold more than 15 million copies[8][10] and, according to a CNN report, it was the "highest ranked work of non-fiction" of the 1990s.[11] The book has been published in more than 40 languages.[2][12]
Business ventures
[edit]In 1997, Gray began opening Mars & Venus Counseling Centers, where he trains therapists in his "Mars & Venus technique" in exchange for a one-time licensing fee and monthly "royalty payments". Dorothy Cantor, a former president of the American Psychological Association, has questioned the ethics of creating a franchise for what is essentially a therapeutic process.[2]
In 1997, Gray began marketing his products through Genesis Intermedia, a company led by Ramy El-Batrawi. According to their SEC filing, "A substantial portion of our product revenue has come from our Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus product series authored by John Gray, Ph.D." On December 31, 1997, Genesis sold 116,504 shares of its common stock to Dr. John Gray for $900,000. On November 1, 1998, 29,126 of those shares were surrendered. Royalties paid to Dr. Gray for the years ended December 31, 1998, 1997 and 1996 were $0, $50,101, and $423,207, respectively. There were no royalties paid to Dr. Gray during the three months ended March 31, 1999 and 1998.[13] in 2004, a massive class action lawsuit was filed against Genesis Intermedia for stock price manipulation. El-Batrawi settled with the SEC and was barred from acting as an officer or director of a public company for a period of five years.[14]
Gray has been marketing dietary supplements through his Web site since at least 2005. In 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ordered him to stop making illegal claims for several products: 2-AEP Membrane Complex, Ionic Silver Water, L-Glutathione, Liposomal DHA – Ultimate Omega-3 Brain Support, Liposomal Methyl B12/Folate, NAC N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine, and Vectomega.[15]
Gray is also an early investor in YayYo, Inc, a rental car business for the ride-sharing industry operated by Ramy El-Batrawi. Gray owns 21.44% through his Gray Mars Venus Trust.[16] Ramy El-Batrawi dies of undisclosed causes on April 23, 2024.[17]
Interviews and appearances
[edit]Gray has made appeared on multiple talk shows, including Oprah, The Phil Donahue Show,[8] and Larry King Live.[citation needed]
In a June 2014 interview with Agence France-Presse, Gray was quoted as saying with regard to feminism, "The reason why there's so much divorce is that feminism promotes independence in women. I'm very happy for women to find greater independence, but when you go too far in that direction, then who's at home?"[18] He also stated that "feminism in America holds back sales of [his] books", while other parts of the world - he cited Australia and Latin America notably - are more in tune with his basic message.[19] With regard to online pornography Gray stated, "With free internet porn, there's a massive addiction happening," adding that there are "just millions and millions of people... experiencing their sexual satisfactions through total fantasy. The effect that porn has on the brain is like taking heroin." With regard to the rise of infidelity sites like Ashley Madison and Arrangement Finders he states, "When you have impersonal sex.... 'It's OK, here are these cheating wives, men, they want to have sex with you'... So you go have sex with someone that you don't know and someone you don't love... impersonal sex does promote addiction to sex," he adds, "it's along the same line of pornography."[18][20]
Criticism
[edit]In 2002, author Julia T. Wood published a critical response to Gray's portrayals of men and women in Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus.[21] In 2007 Deborah Cameron published a book-length critique of Gray, and other self-help ventures premised on gender difference stereotypes, in The Myth of Mars and Venus: Do Men and Women Really Speak Different Languages?[22]
Gray was accused of borrowing from the work of author Deborah Tannen and he acknowledges some similarities but says, "I was teaching those ideas before I'd heard of her" and that he did not read her book.[23] Other critics have accused Gray of limiting human psychology to stereotypes.[5][24][25][26][27]
Personal life
[edit]Gray married self-help author Barbara De Angelis. They divorced in 1984. Gray married his second wife, Bonnie, in 1986; she died of cancer in 2018.[28]Gray married his third wife, Wang Lin, also known as Viki Gray, on May 4, 2020 in Marin County, California. She was his personal guide during his speaking tours in China.[29]
Gray has a daughter and two stepdaughters.[2][30][5] His youngest daughter Lauren markets the Mars Venus brand through her own videos on self-help relationship advice.[31]
Books and other publications
[edit]- 1992: Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus
- 1993: What You Feel You Can Heal
- 1994: What Your Mother Couldn't Tell You and Your Father Didn't Know
- 1994: Mars and Venus in Love
- 1995: Mars and Venus in the Bedroom
- 1997: Mars and Venus on a Date
- 1997: Mars and Venus Starting Over
- 1999: How To Get What You Want and Want What You Have
- 2000: Children Are from Heaven
- 2000: Mars and Venus: 365 Ways to Keep Passion Alive
- Men, Women and Relationships
- Mars and Venus Together Forever: A Practical Guide to Creating Lasting Intimacy
- Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus Book of Days
- Practical Miracles for Mars and Venus: Nine Principles for Lasting Love, Increasing Success, and Vibrant Health in the Twenty-first Century
- 2002: Mars and Venus in the Workplace, ISBN 0732911141
- Truly Mars & Venus
- 2003: The Mars & Venus Diet and Exercise Solution
- 2007: Why Mars and Venus Collide: Improving Relationships by Understanding How Men and Women Cope Differently with Stress
- 2010: Venus on Fire, Mars on Ice – Hormonal Balance – The Key to Life, Love, and Energy
- 75 Ways To Say I Love You (co-author Darren Stephens), ISBN 9780957974012
- How To Release Stress Through Relaxation (co-author Darren Stephens), ISBN 9780957974005
- Work with Me: The 8 Blind Spots Between Men and Women in Business (co-author Barbara Annis), ISBN 9780230341906
- 2017: Beyond Mars and Venus
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "MarsVenus.com – John Gray – Life Story". www.marsvenus.com. Archived from the original on June 17, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Gleick, Elizabeth (June 16, 1997). "Tower of Psychobabble". Time. Archived from the original on July 26, 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
- ^ Hampson, Sara (February 4, 2008). "Looking to God for Relationship Advice". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
- ^ Bridgman, Mary (October 14, 1996). "LOST IN SPACE AUTHOR ARGUES MEN, WOMEN STILL NO CLOSER THAN MARS, VENUS". Columbus Dispatch. Columbus, Ohio. p. 01.B.
- ^ a b c d Hampton, Sarah (February 4, 2008). "Looking to God for relationship advice". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on February 9, 2008. Retrieved September 30, 2008.
- ^ Goldman, Abigail (September 12, 1994). "Mars, Venus... and Cupid Men and women seem to be from different planets. John Gray's message: Come back to Earth and deal with it". LA Times. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2008.
- ^ "Honorary Degree Citation: John Gray" (2003), Governors State University.
- ^ a b c Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (February 14, 2017). "Interview to John Gray. How we made Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus". The Guardian. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
- ^ The chronology of American literature: America's literary achievements, By Daniel S. Burt, page 696, New England Publishing Associates 2004,
- ^ "HarperCollins Catalogue [25th Anniversary]". HarperCollins. 2017. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^ "Grisham ranks as top-selling author of decade". CNN.com. December 31, 1999. Archived from the original on September 8, 2012. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^ Hay House author bio Archived November 11, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 2011.
- ^ "SEC Archives". Sec.gov.
- ^ "Securities and Exchange Commission v. Ramy Y. El-Batrawi, GenesisIntermedia, Inc., Ultimate Holdings, Ltd., Adnan M. Khashoggi, Richard J. Evangelista, Wayne Breedon, and Douglas E. Jacobson, Civil Action No. CV-06-2247 (MRP) (C.D. Ca.)". Sec.gov. April 2, 2010.
- ^ Warning letter to John Gray’s Mars Venus LLC, 2/5/19
- ^ "UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION". www.sec.gov. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
- ^ News, Hollywood LA (April 24, 2024). "Ramy El-Batrawi Died in L.A." Hollywood LA News. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ a b Staff. "'Mars, Venus' author warns over sex in online world". AFP.com. Agence France-Presse. Archived from the original on June 9, 2014. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
- ^ Staff. "Feminism and free porn are ruining relationships - author". The New Zealand Herald. New Zealand Herald. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
- ^ Staff. "'Men Are From Mars' Author Blames Free Online Porn, Feminists". AVN.com. Adult Video News. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
- ^ Wood, Julia T. (Winter 2002). "A Critical Response to John Gray's Mars and Venus Portrayals of Men and Women". Southern Communication Journal. 67 (2). Memphis, Tennessee: 201–210. doi:10.1080/10417940209373229. OCLC 936904728. S2CID 146380651.
- ^ Cameron, Deborah. The Myth of Mars and Venus: Do Men and Women Really Speak Different Languages? Oxford University Press. 2007.
- ^ Conversation with HarperCollins editor Nancy Peske, 1994
- ^ Murphy, Lauren (February 14, 2002). "Mars and Venus at work; Critics aim to bring Gray back down to Earth". The Washington Times. Retrieved January 7, 2014.
- ^ "Can't Understand Your Mate? It's Time To Align Your Planets". The Palm Beach Post. November 1, 1998. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
- ^ "John Gray Fires Back at Critic Who Questioned His Credentials". Inside Edition. November 20, 2003.
- ^ "John Gray - Bio - Premiere Motivational Speakers Bureau". premierespeakers.com.
- ^ Gray, John (February 15, 2019). "John Gray's wife Bonnie Gray has died of cancer". Brad Kearns.
- ^ Gray\first=John\date=February 13, 2024\website=YouTube. "Dr. John Gray returns LIVE in studio for Valentines w/ Dr. Marissa". www.youtube.com/.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "John Gray: Biography of John Gray". www.askmarsvenus.com.
- ^ "Mars Venus". MarsVenus.
Further reading
[edit]- Mead, Rebecca (September 18, 1995). "Is John Gray from Mars?". New York Magazine. Vol. 28, no. 37. pp. 66−69. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
- Lacitis, Erik (March 29, 1996). "Promoting Closeness – John Gray Of 'Venus/Mars' Fame Is A One-Man Advice Industry". Seattle Times. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
- Aamidor, Abe (February 24, 1998). "'Mars, Venus' Author Finds His Messages Hitting Home". Indianapolis Star And News. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
- Odone, Cristina (April 2, 1999). "We are fixated on the idea that we have to be in a couple; nobody is interested in the beauty of being alone". New Statesman. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
- Goldacre, Ben (February 10, 2005). "A varying degree". The Guardian. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
- Guinness, Daphne (January 31, 2008). "Back to Mars and Venus". The Age. Retrieved October 17, 2008.
