Rating: 
Summary: Charting a path...
Review: I first read M. Scott Peck's 'The Road Less Travelled' over 20 years ago, but it is a text to which I return again and again, as Peck's insights and observations remain a constant source of inspiration and guidance in my life. It still finds a ready home in the hands of therapists, counselors, ministers, teachers, career planners, and others as part of their resources, and is not out of place in the home of anyone who cares about the directions of her or his life.Peck is a clinical psychiatrist - the material for this book came largely from his experiences with clients and others, seeing what worked and what didn't, what was missing and what was mis-understood. Often cases involved psychotherapy (talk therapy), but the processes here are not confined to therapists' offices. The same kinds of problem solving, processing and relationship building that takes place in psychotherapy can be used as life-long tools. Peck resists labels such as Freudian and Jungian; he doesn't look for, nor does he offer, quick fixes or the psychotherapeutic variety of the get-rich-quick schemes. This book is not a therapy manual, but rather a guide to spiritual growth that incorporates therapeutic and psychological principles. Peck echoes the sentiments of many spiritual directors and leaders through the millennia that spiritual and personal growth are long journeys, not short leaps. It involves dedication and intention, and a willingness to accept risk and change. Perhaps it is ironic that, given this, the first topic Peck focuses upon is Discipline. However, without discipline, change can go unchecked and uncharted, growth can become problematic, and the human soul becomes susceptible to a host of difficulties. Dedication and application to problem-solving and long-term building (whether it be of retirement funds or of one's own spirit) requires a disciplined approach that recognises that life is difficulty (the first of Buddha's Four Noble Truths, cited by Peck), gratification sometimes needs to be delayed for greater goods, and reality needs to be approached and dealt with responsibly. Peck calls here for a life to be totally dedicated to the truth. This is hard, because we as human beings are so accustomed to rationalisation and reinterpretation. This kind of dedication also requires a balance in life, and an ability to be flexible as the truths of our lives change - few of us are in possession of timeless and eternal truths governing every aspect of our lives, and often those who feel they are end up disappointed in the end. The continuing creativity of God in our lives requires flexibility, but this is best achieved in a disciplined and balanced context. Peck then turns to love, a mysterious thing even in the best of times. He identifies some of the myths of 'falling in love' and romantic love that our culture through various means idealises, leading to great dissatisfaction when we do not achieve the desired feelings or situations. Peck makes the assertion that love is not really a feeling, but rather an action or activity, that involves a lot of risk-taking (Peck talks about risks of independence, of commitment, of confrontation, and of loss). True love requires discipline and recognition of the needs of the self and others. The final two sections of the text deal with aspects of religion on the spiritual and psychological development of persons. The first section looks at religion and growth processes. He does a short survey of some attitudes toward religions and denominations, as well as a look at how the modern scientific mindset colours the worldview of modern people, particularly with ideas of verification and skepticism. Some psychologists and theorists have wondered if religion were mass delusions, mass psychosis, or some other kind of sickness. Peck uses interesting extended case studies here to examine the role of various aspects of religion in the developmental lives of several people. Peck asks the question, 'Is belief in God a psychopathology?' In some aspects, and for some people, the way they approach and 'use' religion, the answer may well be yes. However, Peck also takes the psychotherapeutic community to task for often being too narrow or too dismissive of the value of religious sentiment and institutions in the lives of their charges. The final section looks at the role of grace in the spiritual growth process. Grace is another mysterious force, like love, that is difficult to pin down and explain. It is also something uncontrollable. Why do some with artistic talent end up being successful and celebrated, and others not? Why do some use their talent, when others don't? In cases of ultimate despair, Peck makes the observation that while it is often clear why some people commit suicide, it is not often clear why others in the same situations don't. Some of this has to do with the unconscious mind that guides us, and some of it has to do with the miracle of serendipity, as Peck describes it. Peck describes in some detail his concept of what grace is and how it works, in very general terms that relate to no denomination or religion in particular, but has wide applicability. He talks both about resistance to grace and the welcoming of grace. Grace is not easy, and often comes with responsibilities (Bonhoeffer talks about cheap grace; the requirements of grace are noted through scriptures of many religions). Welcoming grace welcomes often more than we bargained for, but also often more than we hoped. In his afterword, Peck discusses the difficulties of writing in an organised and linear fashion about something so fundamentally disorganised as spiritual growth and therapeutic processes. He also talks about the need for finding competent help when required - ability is not measured by degrees, he states (something true in many professions). This is useful for those seeking a first therapeutic relationship, or needing a change.
Rating: 
Summary: A good ending
Review: I could have done without the first section of this book (about the first 90 pages). The author essentially informs the reader that his/her lack of proper and appropriate parenting is the root of any and all of is/her adult troubles. The other thing that I dislike is the author's arrogance. At one point he even says that according to his definition he is practicing psychotherapy all the time and therefore feels it ok to bend and break ethical guidelines. Professionals are supposed to follow a code of ethics...that is what separates professions from other jobs. Another annoyance is the author's apparent need to show off his extensive vocabulary. Yeah, that's great that you went to school for 8 years but how gives a f*ck if you know words that are not commonly used. Having said that...The latter parts of this book are amazing!! I especially like the ending dealing with the subject of grace. The author presents practical knowledge, with examples, of how grace can work in everyday living. I also enjoyed the section on love, in which the author points to the illusion of romantic love and explains how 'falling in love' is nothing more than a fantasy that inevitably fades away. The structure of the book is perfect, an English professor would love it. Mr. Peck states and supports his opinions very clearly and for the most part, he presents opposing points of view as well. If you can get past the wordiness and the first 90 pages, then you will find some very useful and encouraging information.
Rating:
Summary: A primer on living well - 6 or 7 stars if possible
Review: This is one of those books that will change your life if you let it. M. Scott Peck has taken years of psychotherapy experience and given us a masterpiece. You will learn how to alter your thinking and mindset and be a better person. It will give you new light into psychological problems of others. I have gone on to read most of Peck's works, and they are all very good, but this is still probably the best out of all of them.
If you like this, try "People of the Lie", or the sequel to this book, "Further along the Road Less Traveled".
Rating:
Summary: Great!
Review: My husband and I read this book together. We had great conversations. The part that really shocked us was the part about love and unconditional love. I always wondered how someone could say they were "In love at first sight" when all I ever felt at first sight was simply lust. My veiws on emotional behavior seem justified now. Thanks
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books you can read
Review: This book defines love, growth, spiritual growth, laziness, evil and many other insights perfectly. Get this book. It will make you redifine what you think. Is not that the point of learning?
Rating: 
Summary: Major Detour on The Road Less Traveled...
Review: I've read all of Alice Miller's books (Drama of the Gifted Child, For Your Own Good, etc) and found that Peck recognizes many similar observations, so I hoped I was on firm ground. That ground dissolved as I got further into the book and Scott departed from "the truth of facts" as Miller puts it, and into "Grace," interweaving religious-based assertions with his prior good sense.
Peck states at the beginning that "Life is suffering" and mentions Carl Jung's quote that "neurosis is always a substitute for legitimate suffering." Alice Miller states that this suffering arises from one of two circumstances: either the "legitimate suffering" that comes from facing and feeling the truth of our repressed, damaged childhood history without denial or delusion (since no one parents perfectly, we've all been damaged to some degree) - or the "neurotic suffering" we feel from either Depression or Grandiosity, two coping mechanisms adopted when one is forced to deny (repress) the truth of one's damaged childhood history, and the tragedy of not knowing how to let go of that shield - even fiercely defending it through excusing/idealizing the parents who did the damage once one is an "adult."
Peck's departure nearer the end of the book into the religious idea of "Grace" obscures this choice behind the second defense of neurotic suffering: religious Grandiosity. In Peck's entire book, he gives the concept of Alice Miller's "Helping or Enlightened Witness" only a single line - yet, this concept is a key path out of the hell of human misery. By confronting our own past, assisted by another human being who unreservedly champions the child we were, we recover our ability to empathize with the defenseless child in ourselves rather than identifying with our former `god-like' parental abusers and so heal our damaged personality, able at last to give ourselves and others the love our original caretakers couldn't because of their own unresolved childhood trauma. By doing this with another compassionate human being (an equal) rather than a god-figure (superior/subordiant), we accomplish two crucial things: we uncover and let go of the illusion many of us carry of a Perfect Childhood that never existed -- and so can also end our addiction to a belief in a Perfect Authority Figure first symbolized by our parents that, as adults, we all too often continue to dangerously project onto other all too human leaders -- resulting in the glorious discovery that at last, we have the right to think for ourselves.
While the first part of this book is very clear and concise, I feel that the author did a "bait and switch" at the end, beginning with straight psychology and detouring into religion, like starting off on a well-lit highway and ending up on a dark, bumpy backroad. If you want to read books that stick with "the truth of facts" from cover to cover, look up the most recent editions of any of Alice Miller's work and you'll find an author who won't gloss over the difficult and rewarding journey of healing childhood trauma with a magic candy-coating.
Rating:
Summary: A Must-Read for Anyone Willing to Change
Review: I cannot think of a better manual for life, its principles applicable to everything from the tiniest minutiae to the most important decisions you will make during your days on earth. It is a compelling, at times overwhelming, collection of experience, anecdotes, and wisdom; if read with a willing mind and heart, it will change your life.
Dr. Peck brilliantly does in this work exactly what he compels the reader to do, which is to express consciously that which is normally hidden under many layers of denial, confusion, or downright lies. He tells us the many things that we already know about life, and we immediately recognize them as true, yet somehow the ideas themselves seem novel, and at times foreign or impossible.
I recommend this book if you have ever stepped foot into an incompetent therapist's office, if you know there are things you should do that you just don't (and don't know why), or simply if you are yearning for direction in your spiritual growth. Don't try to read it cover-to-cover; take it in pieces, and its deeper meaning will reveal itself to you.
Rating:
Summary: Charting a path...
Review: I first read M. Scott Peck's `The Road Less Travelled' over 20 years ago, but it is a text to which I return again and again, as Peck's insights and observations remain a constant source of inspiration and guidance in my life. It still finds a ready home in the hands of therapists, counselors, ministers, teachers, career planners, and others as part of their resources, and is not out of place in the home of anyone who cares about the directions of her or his life. Peck is a clinical psychiatrist - the material for this book came largely from his experiences with clients and others, seeing what worked and what didn't, what was missing and what was mis-understood. Often cases involved psychotherapy (talk therapy), but the processes here are not confined to therapists' offices. The same kinds of problem solving, processing and relationship building that takes place in psychotherapy can be used as life-long tools. Peck resists labels such as Freudian and Jungian; he doesn't look for, nor does he offer, quick fixes or the psychotherapeutic variety of the get-rich-quick schemes. This book is not a therapy manual, but rather a guide to spiritual growth that incorporates therapeutic and psychological principles. Peck echoes the sentiments of many spiritual directors and leaders through the millennia that spiritual and personal growth are long journeys, not short leaps. It involves dedication and intention, and a willingness to accept risk and change. Perhaps it is ironic that, given this, the first topic Peck focuses upon is Discipline. However, without discipline, change can go unchecked and uncharted, growth can become problematic, and the human soul becomes susceptible to a host of difficulties. Dedication and application to problem-solving and long-term building (whether it be of retirement funds or of one's own spirit) requires a disciplined approach that recognises that life is difficulty (the first of Buddha's Four Noble Truths, cited by Peck), gratification sometimes needs to be delayed for greater goods, and reality needs to be approached and dealt with responsibly. Peck calls here for a life to be totally dedicated to the truth. This is hard, because we as human beings are so accustomed to rationalisation and reinterpretation. This kind of dedication also requires a balance in life, and an ability to be flexible as the truths of our lives change - few of us are in possession of timeless and eternal truths governing every aspect of our lives, and often those who feel they are end up disappointed in the end. The continuing creativity of God in our lives requires flexibility, but this is best achieved in a disciplined and balanced context. Peck then turns to love, a mysterious thing even in the best of times. He identifies some of the myths of `falling in love' and romantic love that our culture through various means idealises, leading to great dissatisfaction when we do not achieve the desired feelings or situations. Peck makes the assertion that love is not really a feeling, but rather an action or activity, that involves a lot of risk-taking (Peck talks about risks of independence, of commitment, of confrontation, and of loss). True love requires discipline and recognition of the needs of the self and others. The final two sections of the text deal with aspects of religion on the spiritual and psychological development of persons. The first section looks at religion and growth processes. He does a short survey of some attitudes toward religions and denominations, as well as a look at how the modern scientific mindset colours the worldview of modern people, particularly with ideas of verification and skepticism. Some psychologists and theorists have wondered if religion were mass delusions, mass psychosis, or some other kind of sickness. Peck uses interesting extended case studies here to examine the role of various aspects of religion in the developmental lives of several people. Peck asks the question, `Is belief in God a psychopathology?' In some aspects, and for some people, the way they approach and `use' religion, the answer may well be yes. However, Peck also takes the psychotherapeutic community to task for often being too narrow or too dismissive of the value of religious sentiment and institutions in the lives of their charges. The final section looks at the role of grace in the spiritual growth process. Grace is another mysterious force, like love, that is difficult to pin down and explain. It is also something uncontrollable. Why do some with artistic talent end up being successful and celebrated, and others not? Why do some use their talent, when others don't? In cases of ultimate despair, Peck makes the observation that while it is often clear why some people commit suicide, it is not often clear why others in the same situations don't. Some of this has to do with the unconscious mind that guides us, and some of it has to do with the miracle of serendipity, as Peck describes it. Peck describes in some detail his concept of what grace is and how it works, in very general terms that relate to no denomination or religion in particular, but has wide applicability. He talks both about resistance to grace and the welcoming of grace. Grace is not easy, and often comes with responsibilities (Bonhoeffer talks about cheap grace; the requirements of grace are noted through scriptures of many religions). Welcoming grace welcomes often more than we bargained for, but also often more than we hoped. In his afterword, Peck discusses the difficulties of writing in an organised and linear fashion about something so fundamentally disorganised as spiritual growth and therapeutic processes. He also talks about the need for finding competent help when required - ability is not measured by degrees, he states (something true in many professions). This is useful for those seeking a first therapeutic relationship, or needing a change.
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