Handbook for Constructive Living (A Latitude 20 Book) [Paperback]

David K. Reynolds (Author)

Book Description

Series: A Latitude 20 Book | Publication Date: April 30, 2002

Here, in plain language, is the definitive guide for taking control of your life and imbuing it with greater meaning and productivity. Constructive Living is an action-based way of looking at the world that combines good, old-fashioned straight talk and the celebrated Japanese psychotherapies Morita and Naikan. David Reynolds, the father of this brilliantly simple and effective therapy, shows us how to live thoughtfully and economically, to regard our actions as if they were divine rituals, and to perform them with the utmost care. He contends that contentment is achieved, not bestowed-attaining peace and satisfaction takes daily practice and learning. With user-friendly anecdotes, practical exercises, and a sense of humor, he refreshes the experienced student and takes the novice to the beginning, laying out the essence of Constructive Living.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Constructive Living (CL) derives from the practice of Naikan, an educational process developed by Ishin Yoshimoto (1916-88) and the thoughts of Masatake Morita (1874-1938). Numerous periodical articles (Cosmopolitan, May 1990, for example) listed in the bibliography have introduced the CL concept to the American lay public. This handbook presents the major tenets of CL-practical advice about active daily living and focusing on universal morally accountable purposeful behavior. CL asks one to accept reality (whatever one's is), know one's purpose (objectives), and do what must be done to reach those objectives. This handbook seems intended mostly for mental health professionals and sophisticated lay readers wishing to learn a natural way to better mental health. Reynolds (Even in Summer the Ice Doesn't Melt, LJ 10/1/86) is a former professor at UCLA School of Public Health, University of California School of Medicine, and the University of Houston. He is considered the leading Western authority on Japanese psychotherapy. Academic libraries supporting graduate psychotherapy courses or large public libraries may want to consider this insightful handbook.
Scott Johnson, Meridian Community Coll. Lib., Miss.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Constructive Living is a way of looking at the world which combines straight talk and action, blending the perceptions of two famous Japanese psychotherapies in a guide to setting and reaching goals. From living economically to avoiding self-absorption, this provides a key to creating a behavior-centered lifestyle. --Midwest Book Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: University of Hawaii Press (April 30, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0824826000
• ISBN-13: 978-0824826000
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #286,043 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A clear-as-a-bell guide to focused and purposeful living., July 31, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A Handbook for Constructive Living (1st Edition) (Paperback)

The last self-help book you'll need. David Reynolds offers a concise and practical summary of this practical approach to life, its problems, and its pleasures that originated in Japan. Of all his books, this was, for me, the most accessible. Constructive Living helps the readers shift their focus from their own problems and emotions (the primary focus on Western psychotherapy) to the world and people around them. The question becomes "What should I do right now?," instead of "Why do I feel this way?" It is completely secular, although one can see the overtones of Zen. However, this isn't just a book to read. It's a book that inspires action. Constructive Living is well-written and broken into convenient sections. In keeping with the theory on which it is based, the focus is on doing rather than ruminating. A firm but pleasant reminder that we can make choices and choose well.

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A visionary self-help book, August 29, 2004

By 

S. D Temple "SDTemple" (Iowa City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Handbook for Constructive Living (A Latitude 20 Book) (Paperback)

David K. Reynolds is not only the West's best known teacher of Asian psychologies, he has written one of the best self-help books ever available on the market. I've been a clinical psychologist for more than 20 years, and while there are many fine self-help books available, especially using cognitive-behavior therapy, this one is perhaps the most widely applicable that I have found. Most self-help books focus on resolving specific problems: depression, panic disorder, social phobia, etc. But Constructive Living (CL) is for everyone wanting to live a more effective, principled, value-driven life.

Reynolds challenges a variety of sacred cows in American life: about the importance of feelings, about so-called 'uncovering' psychotherapies (those which focus primarily on history and insight into how we got to be the way we are), and about so-called rugged individualism. In their places, Reynolds weaves two Japanese therapies together, Morita Therapy and Naikan Therapy, which promise only to help the reader see reality more clearly, and to make conscious choices about handling reality, as it is, not necessarily as we wish it were. Owing a debt to Japanese Buddhist psychology, Reynolds, who has been writing for more than a quarter of a century, anticipates the most exciting developments now occurring in American cognitive-behavior therapy. This book is by a pioneer. He says that "effort is good fortune." If so, then reading this book and practicing its teachings may be very good fortune, indeed.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Confusion, July 31, 2010

By 

Andrew (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Handbook for Constructive Living (A Latitude 20 Book) (Paperback)

This book lacks the clarity of his earlier "Constructive Living" book. Strange that with fifteen more years to ponder his philosophy of life he actually regressed. There is something useful in this book but this author can't express it clearly. Perhaps the next generation of Constructive Living writers will be able to fill this gap.