Intimacy and Solitude: Balance, Closeness, and Independence [Paperback]

Stephanie Dowrick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 17, 1996

“[S]elf-help fare at its best” (Kirkus Reviews) that brings one closer to oneself in order to bring one closer to others.

Intimacy and Solitude is the international bestseller that helps you enjoy closeness with others, while maintaining a firm sense of independence. Using stories from her psychotherapy practice and her own life, Stephanie Dowrick shows how intimacy begins in discovering and trusting your own self, and then bringing that personal strength into one’s relationships with friends, family, and lovers.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Psychotherapist Dowrick analyzes intimacy and solitude, which she sees not as opposites in conflict but rather as interdependent parts of a healthy whole.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Ah, love; a many-splendored but baffling thing! Dowrick, the founder of the Women's Press in England and author of Why Children? ( LJ 4/1/81), theorizes that the way people experience their sense of self reflects the way they experience other people. The importance of genuine love from birth in a caring family is vital to the development of a positive outlook as an adult. Intimacy and solitude in relationships are not as antithetical as they seem, Dowrick claims; rather, they are similar manifestations of the psyche. Her emphasis is on self-responsibility (for both straight and homosexual persons). This is a self-discovery book, not a quick fix formula. Intimacy is again a hot topic, making this title appropriate for public libraries with serious psychology collections as well as academic and professional libraries.
- Scott Johnson, Meridian Community Coll. Lib., Miss.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (February 17, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393313611
• ISBN-13: 978-0393313611
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #388,050 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I call all my friends with quotes from it., August 6, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Intimacy and Solitude: Balance, Closeness, and Independence (Paperback)

This book is fantastic. She holds that a solid sense of who you are is vital for comfort in intimacy AND in solitude. Rather than a quick trip to relationship nirvana, she gives you a fascinating study of the sense of self - how it's formed, how it's lost, how you can regain it. It's well-written, thoughtful, and comprehensive, illustrated with real-life vignettes. A must for those who've grown beyond John Grey's glib Mars and Venus discussions and Cosmo's self-help quizzes.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best self-help book around?, November 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Intimacy and Solitude: Balance, Closeness, and Independence (Paperback)

This is a remarkable book, perhaps the only book one need read to gain an understanding of how interpersonal relationships are burdened when those involved don't know who they are. The book persuasively argues that in order to find success in any relationship, one must first gain an understanding of self. The testament of the quality of this book is its applicability to real life; I find issues from the book constantly mirrored by situations in my life, and it is a valuable resource for understanding what is going on.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars thoughtful, well written, January 23, 2004

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Intimacy and Solitude: Balance, Closeness, and Independence (Paperback)

I've been reading similar books in this genre, including Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway (Jeffers), Mastery of Love (Ruiz), Heart of the Matter (Austin) and now this one. This book pulls together many of the themes percolating through the other listed books and is well worth reading (alone or with these books). It's not easy or light reading, but having finished it I can tell I'll refer back to this book often, now just to browse through particular sections. I lost count of the times she would describe a particular situation or issue and I'd immediately picture an example of that, either in my life or in those of people I know. I tend toward the overly analytical and as such I appreciated the depth and scope of the look she took at these twinned (though most people would not think so) concepts. If you're at all interested in self discovery, read this! I like books that make me think; this definitely does so.