The Road Less Travelled
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- Create Date：2021-05-07 07:51:36
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：M. Scott Peck
- ISBN：1846041074
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Summary
The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love， Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth
316 pp。 "Psychotherapy is all things to all people in this mega-selling pop-psychology watershed， which features a new introduction by the author in this 25th anniversary edition。 His agenda in this tome， which was first published in 1978 but didn't become a bestseller until 1983， is to reconcile the psychoanalytic tradition with the conflicting cultural currents roiling the 70s。 In the spirit of Me-Decade individualism and libertinism， he celebrates self-actualization as life's highest purpose and flirts with the notions of open marriage and therapeutic sex between patient and analyst。 But because he is attuned to the nascent conservative backlash against the therapeutic worldview， Peck also cites Gospel passages， recruits psychotherapy to the cause of traditional religion （he even convinces a patient to sign up for divinity school） and insists that problems must be overcome through suffering， discipline and hard work （with a therapist。） Often departing from the cerebral and rationalistic bent of Freudian discourse for a mystical， Jungian tone more compatible with New Age spirituality， Peck writes of psychotherapy as an exercise in "love" and "spiritual growth，" asserts that "our unconscious is God" and affirms his belief in miracles， reincarnation and telepathy。 Peck's synthesis of such clashing elements （he even throws in a little thermodynamics） is held together by a warm and lucid discussion of psychiatric principles and moving accounts of his own patients' struggles and breakthroughs。 Harmonizing psychoanalysis and spirituality， Christ and Buddha， Calvinist work ethic and interminable talking cures， this book is a touchstone of our contemporary religio-therapeutic culture。" -- Publishers WeeklyKeywords: MIND & BODY PSYCHOLOGY SOCIOLOGY RELIGION
316 pp。 "Psychotherapy is all things to all people in this mega-selling pop-psychology watershed， which features a new introduction by the author in this 25th anniversary edition。 His agenda in this tome， which was first published in 1978 but didn't become a bestseller until 1983， is to reconcile the psychoanalytic tradition with the conflicting cultural currents roiling the 70s。 In the spirit of Me-Decade individualism and libertinism， he celebrates self-actualization as life's highest purpose and flirts with the notions of open marriage and therapeutic sex between patient and analyst。 But because he is attuned to the nascent conservative backlash against the therapeutic worldview， Peck also cites Gospel passages， recruits psychotherapy to the cause of traditional religion （he even convinces a patient to sign up for divinity school） and insists that problems must be overcome through suffering， discipline and hard work （with a therapist。） Often departing from the cerebral and rationalistic bent of Freudian discourse for a mystical， Jungian tone more compatible with New Age spirituality， Peck writes of psychotherapy as an exercise in "love" and "spiritual growth，" asserts that "our unconscious is God" and affirms his belief in miracles， reincarnation and telepathy。 Peck's synthesis of such clashing elements （he even throws in a little thermodynamics） is held together by a warm and lucid discussion of psychiatric principles and moving accounts of his own patients' struggles and breakthroughs。 Harmonizing psychoanalysis and spirituality， Christ and Buddha， Calvinist work ethic and interminable talking cures， this book is a touchstone of our contemporary religio-therapeutic culture。" -- Publishers WeeklyKeywords: MIND & BODY PSYCHOLOGY SOCIOLOGY RELIGION
Reviews
Amel
，
Apart from its last chapter revolving around spiritual growth and religious beliefs， it's a very helpful book for psychological and mental health。 Apart from its last chapter revolving around spiritual growth and religious beliefs， it's a very helpful book for psychological and mental health。 。。。more
Raymond Angana
，
It's insightful but the content keeps repeating and I've already lost interest in the last two Parts in Growth&Religion and Grace。 It's insightful but the content keeps repeating and I've already lost interest in the last two Parts in Growth&Religion and Grace。 。。。more
TJ
，
probably something I’d re-read again！ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Luis
，
Essential book for psychology readers。
Trent
，
Some good ideas but didn't like the flow。 Some good ideas but didn't like the flow。 。。。more
Zack
，
I think this is a good read and connected a lot of dots for me。
Lux6
，
Knjiga je dosta praktična， zanimljiva je jer su uz teorijski dio iznesena iskustva iz autorovih seansi。
tong huang
，
Best book on psychology and human relationship。 Its four sections on discipline， love， religion and grace are profound。 I will surely read this book again and again and share with many of my friends and family members。The following link gives a very good summary of the content of the book:https://bloomsoup。com/books/summaries。。。 Best book on psychology and human relationship。 Its four sections on discipline， love， religion and grace are profound。 I will surely read this book again and again and share with many of my friends and family members。The following link gives a very good summary of the content of the book:https://bloomsoup。com/books/summaries。。。 。。。more
Nurte
，
Knyga nušviečia dvasinio tobulėjimo kelią。 Paprastais žodžiais paaiškinama， į ką reiktų atkreipti dėmesį， jei toks gyvenimas， kokį gyvenate dabar， netenkina。 Taip pat daug ir pavyzdžių， kurie padeda geriau suvokti aprašomą temą。Labai nepatiko vertimas/redagavimas: kai kuriose vietose buvo elementarių klaidų， kai kur sakinį buvo sunku suvokti - tarsi versta pažodžiui， o ne perteikiant esmę。
Sumi Singh
，
A deeply thought-provoking book。 I took my time reading it for I wanted to soak in the wisdom。 The take-aways I gained was that we can learn so much from our children if we're open to listening to them， being honest at all times with ourselves and others， loving exclusively， setting boundaries， seeking therapy not only when there are serious problems but when things don't make sense。 I especially appreciated the part about being touched by grace and how many are called but few answer because it A deeply thought-provoking book。 I took my time reading it for I wanted to soak in the wisdom。 The take-aways I gained was that we can learn so much from our children if we're open to listening to them， being honest at all times with ourselves and others， loving exclusively， setting boundaries， seeking therapy not only when there are serious problems but when things don't make sense。 I especially appreciated the part about being touched by grace and how many are called but few answer because it is so hard to follow a spiritual path as it requires hard work。 And even when it gets hard， it requires perseverance to keep walking on the road less traveled。 。。。more
Louie
，
Highly compelling， revealing， and educational。
Marjorie Elwood
，
The first half I found absolutely absorbing and it helped me understand some truths about myself。 The entire portion about self-discipline was illuminating and helpful。 Unfortunately， he lost me later in the book， first by stating that it's a healthy thing when "the passively homosexual young man for the first time summons the initiative to ask a girl for a date" （what？！ I know this was published in 1978， but still。。。） and then when he equates emotions with slaves and talks about "good" slave-ow The first half I found absolutely absorbing and it helped me understand some truths about myself。 The entire portion about self-discipline was illuminating and helpful。 Unfortunately， he lost me later in the book， first by stating that it's a healthy thing when "the passively homosexual young man for the first time summons the initiative to ask a girl for a date" （what？！ I know this was published in 1978， but still。。。） and then when he equates emotions with slaves and talks about "good" slave-owners versus "bad" slave-owners。 Even in 1978， I'd like to think that "slave-owners" wasn't a positive term。。。。 。。。more
Shuyuan
，
Triumphant and full of wisdom！ Wish I had read it 20 years ago， although I wouldn't have the same level of understanding as I now if I did。 Triumphant and full of wisdom！ Wish I had read it 20 years ago， although I wouldn't have the same level of understanding as I now if I did。 。。。more
Noopur Kothari
，
Every human being has mental health challenges at some or another level。 I know that even in 2021 it is taboo and people still hesitate to bring it to the table， but the more you suppress it， the more you suffer it。The Road Less Traveled is a beautiful book about mental health challenges， human psychology， and the correlation between science and spirituality。 The book describes the association of our sufferings with childhood experiences and how a small incident can trick the human brain。 The bo Every human being has mental health challenges at some or another level。 I know that even in 2021 it is taboo and people still hesitate to bring it to the table， but the more you suppress it， the more you suffer it。The Road Less Traveled is a beautiful book about mental health challenges， human psychology， and the correlation between science and spirituality。 The book describes the association of our sufferings with childhood experiences and how a small incident can trick the human brain。 The book emphasizes finding the root cause of suffering and then addressing it。What looks real today might get unreal tomorrow and therefore the book suggests to always be willing to change the perspective of reality at any moment and， to be willing to update your view about the world。 It talks about cognitive biases which restrict us to accept our wrong deeds and as a result failing to correct actions， whereas if we just pause for a while and entertain the idea of a new opinion， we will be closer to the truth。Besides discipline， love， and spirituality， the author also describes grace as a mysterious force of positive growth in our lives。 It universally adds serendipity in ways we can’t quite explain and thus comes as close to a miracle as it gets。 A good read for everyone who leans heavily towards either side of the science-religion spectrum。 。。。more
Amanda Pringle
，
I read this book in 1992， captivated it changed my ways of thinking。 Psychology that does not include components of spirituality， science， and religion are incomplete。 Scott Peck was fluent in the language of psychiatry， spirituality， science and religion focusing on issues regarding hope， values， connectedness and transcendence。 I could change my self-image through standard psychology， through spirituality I realised the falsehood of my self-image and was able to differentiate myself from it。 A I read this book in 1992， captivated it changed my ways of thinking。 Psychology that does not include components of spirituality， science， and religion are incomplete。 Scott Peck was fluent in the language of psychiatry， spirituality， science and religion focusing on issues regarding hope， values， connectedness and transcendence。 I could change my self-image through standard psychology， through spirituality I realised the falsehood of my self-image and was able to differentiate myself from it。 A body of wisdom and knowledge I recommend The Road Less Traveled。 。。。more
Lisa W
，
1。 On courage to be in therapy: “Entering psychotherapy is an act of the greatest courage。 The primary reason people do not undergo psychotherapy is not that they lack the money， but that they lack the courage。 It is because they possess this courage that many psychotherapy patients are much stronger and healthier than average。” （@56:00）2。 Depression is a positive thing （@01:19）: When Peck gave up the desire to win， he went through a depression。 “Depression is a basically healthy phenomenon。 It 1。 On courage to be in therapy: “Entering psychotherapy is an act of the greatest courage。 The primary reason people do not undergo psychotherapy is not that they lack the money， but that they lack the courage。 It is because they possess this courage that many psychotherapy patients are much stronger and healthier than average。” （@56:00）2。 Depression is a positive thing （@01:19）: When Peck gave up the desire to win， he went through a depression。 “Depression is a basically healthy phenomenon。 It becomes unhealthy only when something interferes with the giving up process， with the result that the depression is prolonged and cannot be resolved by the completion of the process。” Things can no longer be the way they were…moving through the acceptance and transition process is essential。 Death – Rebirth – Death – Rebirth continues throughout our lives。 Essential to embrace this fact。Part 2 - on the importance of suffering and loss， multiple births and deaths in one life necessary for personal evolution of consciousness。💙Part 4 – Favorite section - On the mysteries of the mind and brain; paranormal phenomena; intuition， paradoxes。 Explores serendipities， synchronicities， Grace。 “The paradox that we both choose and are chosen by Grace is the essence of serendipity， the gift of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for…Buddha found enlightenment only when he stopped seeking it…If we want to be loved， we must first make ourselves lovable…Let us redefine serendipity not as a gift， but as a learned capacity to recognize and use the gifts of Grace。 With this capacity our journey of spiritual growth is guided by the unimaginable wisdom of God。 So guided， the journey becomes ever faster。” （@04:21）PROS: Peck shares his vast clinical and psychospiritual wisdom in this book。 I appreciated his case studies， and how he deconstructed neurotic behavior， depression and anxiety。 My favorite section， however， was Part 4。 Peck shines here – combining his clinical brilliance with his scientific exploration of serendipity， Grace and other mysteries。 CONS: At times he’s a bit preachy， and his culture at the time was more conservative and less equal， so there are some twitchy phrases which are just outdated now。 Readers need to take this into account， and gather the gold from the dross。 。。。more
肥啾 H
，
Breeze。 Love is action。 Discipline is allowing oneself to delay satisfaction。
Aditya Iyer
，
I have been reading books about mind and spirituality for quite some time now and I am glad that I found this one impactful book on spiritual growth that I’d like to talk about。 So， without further due， let’s get started。The Road Less traveled explored three subjects from a psychological perspective:1。 Love2。 Grace3。 Religion and WorldviewAdditionally， it had a section titled Discipline whose key message must be familiar to you: Life is difficult because it’s full of never-ending problems and th I have been reading books about mind and spirituality for quite some time now and I am glad that I found this one impactful book on spiritual growth that I’d like to talk about。 So， without further due， let’s get started。The Road Less traveled explored three subjects from a psychological perspective:1。 Love2。 Grace3。 Religion and WorldviewAdditionally， it had a section titled Discipline whose key message must be familiar to you: Life is difficult because it’s full of never-ending problems and the process of confronting them， solving them is a painful one。 Yet this pain is what gives life meaning。 Don’t skip this section though， as there is more to it and I felt it was the base for the above sections。 Besides， this is where I felt why the book’s title was ‘The Road Less traveled’。Doctor Scott approached the subject directly， drawing from years of experience as a psychotherapist。 The content included illustrations of his patients （edited for privacy） and himself as a patient。 Also， it included verses from the Bible， Christian Hymns， and research from noteworthy psychologists Sigmund Feud and Carl Jung。 It was extensive， valuable， and well explained。The outlook he gave about Love was startling。 The biggest section among others， he first started with defining love， then tore down the misconceptions about it， and finally explored what love indeed is。 It was hard disagreeing with his point of view。 Not underrating what I learned in Love， I’d say that Grace had a huge impact on me。 The key lesson here was: The unwanted and painful symptoms of mental illness （depression， anxiety attacks， bad dreams， etc） are manifestations of grace。 It notifies that you are on the wrong path， your spirits are not growing， and are in grave jeopardy。 It was a mind-opening reading experience with astonishing realizations， but I didn’t like how this book was presented。 I’d rather have a fatter book with larger font and wider line spacing within them。 Nevertheless， the print quality was good enough。 A few learnings and realizations: 1。 There is no such thing as falling in love。 Love is an act of will， a conscious choice that we make。2。 The closest place to look for grace is within yourself。 3。 Religion and Worldview could be a source of most problems – examine them。 4。 Blame no one for your condition， take effort and responsibility to heal it。I must say reading The Road Less Travelled was a great start to the new year。 I appreciate the writer for sharing such valuable wisdom。 It’s extremely needed and useful。 。。。more
Taliarochminska
，
A bit too Deepak Chopra'esque for meI quitted after 38 pages， A bit too Deepak Chopra'esque for meI quitted after 38 pages， 。。。more
Suzanne
，
A friend of mine offered me this book。The book was written more than 40 years ago， in 1978。 The book contains 245 pages and 4 main chapters。I took more than two weeks to read it。The book is very well written， not repetitive， in fluid manner。With interesting examples at that time and lifestyle。My favorite chapter is the Chapter n°2 : "Love"。I liked a lot the title of the book， and how 40 years ago， the author was addressing with criticism all today's self-help approaches。 The opposite of love is A friend of mine offered me this book。The book was written more than 40 years ago， in 1978。 The book contains 245 pages and 4 main chapters。I took more than two weeks to read it。The book is very well written， not repetitive， in fluid manner。With interesting examples at that time and lifestyle。My favorite chapter is the Chapter n°2 : "Love"。I liked a lot the title of the book， and how 40 years ago， the author was addressing with criticism all today's self-help approaches。 The opposite of love is not fear as most self-help coaches wrote。"As I have defined it， love is the antithesis of laziness。 Ordinary laziness is a passive failure to love。""Courage is not the absence of fear; it is the making of action in spite of fear。"This book is to be read again， for sure。 Many， many quotes are present online， you can read it， to see if it rings with you， before reading this book。 。。。more
Joseph Koehler
，
I've read this book several times throughout my adult life and it tends to be the book I fall back on whenever I find that I need to center myself。 Although it is written in a completely different time （we're talking late 70's）， it still has a great deal of wisdom that has held up the rest of time。 Just beware， there are some outdated thoughts and ideals scattered throughout， as well。 It's broken into 4 large sections with several smaller sections and I always recommend that folks put the book d I've read this book several times throughout my adult life and it tends to be the book I fall back on whenever I find that I need to center myself。 Although it is written in a completely different time （we're talking late 70's）， it still has a great deal of wisdom that has held up the rest of time。 Just beware， there are some outdated thoughts and ideals scattered throughout， as well。 It's broken into 4 large sections with several smaller sections and I always recommend that folks put the book doen and process what they've read in every small section before moving forward。 It was a life changer for me in my early adulthood and I always strongly recommend this as one of my favorite reads to anyone that asks about a good "self help" book。 。。。more
Mala Ashok
，
This book came highly recommended but alas！ Didn't live up to its reputation。 Perhaps it is too old and Psychotherapy and Psychiatry have evolved a lot over the years。 I found I couldn't relate to anything the book said。 This book came highly recommended but alas！ Didn't live up to its reputation。 Perhaps it is too old and Psychotherapy and Psychiatry have evolved a lot over the years。 I found I couldn't relate to anything the book said。 。。。more
Theodora ♊ Doreta
，
Πηγή γνώσης με παραδείγματα και αποδείξεις。 Πραγματικά καταπληκτικό！！！Είναι ΣΑΝ ένα μικρό "ευαγγέλιο ζωής" και είμαι σίγουρη πώς θα ανατρέξω πολλές φορές στη βιβλιοθήκη για να θυμηθώ κάτι απ' το περιεχόμενο του！！！ Πηγή γνώσης με παραδείγματα και αποδείξεις。 Πραγματικά καταπληκτικό！！！Είναι ΣΑΝ ένα μικρό "ευαγγέλιο ζωής" και είμαι σίγουρη πώς θα ανατρέξω πολλές φορές στη βιβλιοθήκη για να θυμηθώ κάτι απ' το περιεχόμενο του！！！ 。。。more
Francien
，
Interessant boek， maar de eerste helft van het boek was vele malen leuker dan het tweede。 Daarnaast waren sommige thema's erg geschreven uit het perspectief van de ouder en in dit stadium zit ik nog niet en daardoor voelde het iets minder relevant。 Wel laat zeker het eerste deel je nadenken over jezelf。 Zeker een aanrader voor mensen die geïnteresseerd zijn in psychologie en zelfreflectie en de middelbare leeftijd hebben bereikt。 Interessant boek， maar de eerste helft van het boek was vele malen leuker dan het tweede。 Daarnaast waren sommige thema's erg geschreven uit het perspectief van de ouder en in dit stadium zit ik nog niet en daardoor voelde het iets minder relevant。 Wel laat zeker het eerste deel je nadenken over jezelf。 Zeker een aanrader voor mensen die geïnteresseerd zijn in psychologie en zelfreflectie en de middelbare leeftijd hebben bereikt。 。。。more
Kelly
，
It’s a classic for a reason。 Read it slowly and deliberately and then go back and reread。
Anna Metaxas
，
Although first published in 1978， when the general public was not yet familiarised with the concept of self-improvement or at least had not yet de-demonised it ， this book really brings insights and ultimately value to the reader of today， without being too spiritual or with too much of a "be positive" approach。 Personally， I took my time with reading through the different chapters and found myself contemplating and analysing personal experiences as I read along。 It is very easy to read and expl Although first published in 1978， when the general public was not yet familiarised with the concept of self-improvement or at least had not yet de-demonised it ， this book really brings insights and ultimately value to the reader of today， without being too spiritual or with too much of a "be positive" approach。 Personally， I took my time with reading through the different chapters and found myself contemplating and analysing personal experiences as I read along。 It is very easy to read and explains otherwise difficult scientific terminology with a way that sticks and actually makes sense。 Being able to know more about Peck's own professional experience with therapy is a great plus and definitely brings life to what could otherwise turn into a boring theoretical analysis of the pros and cons of attending to your mental health。 The book left me with a feeling of serenity and better understanding of particular topics that were not as clear to me， like the concept of love in a much deeper level than we see it or the ethics of religion and its profound impact to our behaviours， from as early in life as infantry。 I am confident I will turn to reading it again in the future， especially if I become a parent。 。。。more
Dan Geiger
，
A reminder that material and monetary wealth is nothing compared to our spiritual journey when we take the road less traveled and stretch ourselves。
Kate Russell
，
EXCELLENT！
Kara
，
The beginning of this book is useful。 The rest seems a bit egotistical especially in light of the fact that Dr。 M。 Scott Peck turned out to be a fraud and unable to follow his own rules and suggestions。
Maria Mota
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 What an amazing piece of literature。 It is a real journey going through this beautiful book， which has many valuable insights to live the life you dream of。 By the end of this book， you will have a better vision of both the world and yourself。 I highly recommend going through this wonderful journey。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Road Less Travelled
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Road Less Travelled&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft