The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth

by Peck, M. Scott

• ISBN13: 9780743243155
• ISBN10: 0743243153
• eBook ISBN(s): 9781439144855
• Additional ISBN(s): 9780684847245
• Edition: Anniv.
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-02-04
• Publisher: Touchstone
• More Book Details

Summary

Perhaps no book in this generation has had a more profound impact on our intellectual and spiritual lives thanThe Road Less Traveled.With sales of more than seven million copies in the United States and Canada, and translations into more than twenty-three languages, it has made publishing history, with more than ten years on theNew York Timesbestseller list.Now, with a new Introduction by the author, written especially for this twenty-fifth anniversary deluxe trade paperback edition of the all-time national bestseller in its field, M. Scott Peck explains the ideas that shaped this book and that continue to influence an ever-growing audience of readers.Written in a voice that is timeless in its message of understanding,The Road Less Traveledcontinues to help us explore the very nature of loving relationships and leads us toward a new serenity and fullness of life. It helps us learn how to distinguish dependency from love; how to become a more sensitive parent; and ultimately how to become one's own true self.Recognizing that, as in the famous opening line of his book, "Life is difficult" and that the journey to spiritual growth is a long one, Dr. Peck never bullies his readers, but rather guides them gently through the hard and often painful process of change toward a higher level of self-understanding.

Author Biography

M. Scott Peck, M.D., is a psychiatrist and bestselling author. Educated at Harvard (B.A.) and Case Western Reserve (M.D.), Dr. Peck served in administrative posts in the government during his career as a psychiatrist, and later in private practice. For nearly two decades, he has devoted much of his time and financial resources to the work of the Foundation for Community Encouragement, a nonprofit organization that he and his wife, Lily, helped found in 1984. He lives in northwestern Connecticut.

Table of Contents

Introduction to the 25th Anniversary Edition	p. 5
Preface	p. 11
Discipline
Problems and Pain	p. 15
Delaying Gratification	p. 18
The Sins of the Father	p. 21
Problem-Solving and Time	p. 27
Responsibility	p. 32
Neuroses and Character Disorders	p. 35
Escape from Freedom	p. 39
Dedication to Reality	p. 44
Transference: The Outdated Map	p. 46
Openness to Challenge	p. 51
Withholding Truth	p. 59
Balancing	p. 64
The Healthiness of Depression	p. 69
Renunciation and Rebirth	p. 72
Love
Love Defined	p. 81
Falling in "Love"	p. 84
The Myth of Romantic Love	p. 91
More About Ego Boundaries	p. 94
Dependency	p. 98
Cathexis Without Love	p. 106
"Self-Sacrifice"	p. 111
Love Is Not a Feeling	p. 116
The Work of Attention	p. 120
The Risk of Loss	p. 131
The Risk of Independence	p. 134
The Risk of Commitment	p. 140
The Risk of Confrontation	p. 150
Love Is Disciplined	p. 155
Love Is Separateness	p. 160
Love and Psychotherapy	p. 169
The Mystery of Love	p. 180
Growth and Religion
World Views and Religion	p. 185
The Religion of Science	p. 193
The Case of Kathy	p. 197
The Case of Marcia	p. 208
The Case of Theodore	p. 210
The Baby and the Bath Water	p. 221
Scientific Tunnel Vision	p. 225
Grace
The Miracle of Health	p. 235
The Miracle of the Unconscious	p. 243
The Miracle of Serendipity	p. 253
The Definition of Grace	p. 260
The Miracle of Evolution	p. 263
The Alpha and the Omega	p. 268
Entropy and Original Sin	p. 271
The Problem of Evil	p. 277
The Evolution of Consciousness	p. 280
The Nature of Power	p. 284
Grace and Mental Illness: The Myth of Orestes	p. 289
Resistance to Grace	p. 297
The Welcoming of Grace	p. 306
Afterword	p. 312
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