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

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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.

Let me get to the point. This is the best book I have ever read. Period. I read the book with the premise that perhaps every thought was correct. I was never so moved and I became a much wiser man. I crossed over to the spiritual side for the first time as an adult.
-dk

This book is one of the greatest of our era! M. Scott Peck has written a classic of which his subsequent books don't even approach. This book comprises four main topics; Discipline, Love, Growth/Religion, and Grace. His coverage of the four basic methods of discipline and how they are interrelated is a masterpiece alone and is a "must read" for parents wishing to raise mentally healthy children. The definition of love as "The will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's spiritual growth" is also quite refreshing. This book is for anyone with the courage to grow. If you are afraid of the truth...do not read this book!

In many of the self improvement books available in the market today, a number of areas are stressed as relevant in our personal growth - self control, discipline, empathy and love. We are informed that if these are present in our lives, we will obtain happiness, fulfilment and maximise our talents and abilities.

In addition to these, all problems will be solved or at least be seen as opportunities to be welcomed with open arms. We are in control of our destiny. Limits lie within us and the environment is only the means by which we reach our ambitions.

If "The Road Less Travelled" had followed these much trodden pathway, its fate would be like many of its contemporaries; no reprints and best forgotten by those who had read them.

M. Scott Peck fully acknowledged that life is difficult and this forms the first sentence in the book. Although to some extent the author wrote on self development and growth, this forms only the peripheral. Problems exists and it do not go away. The author fully acknowledge the significant of religion and grace (the unexplainable in science) and its role in providing us with our fulfilment in life. The author unashamedly points out his conviction on this matter with rigour and wrote passionately and convincingly.

Any books on self development and improvement that emphasised mainly on our personalities and actions simply ignored the many real limitation in our actions. Born with disabilities, incurable illness, tragedies and accidents, all these are beyond our control and impact our lives tremendously. Our actions then becomes our limitations.

Nevertheless, the one small blemish in this book is the overconfident and belief in psychoanalysis of the author. I am not a great fan of Freud and I find somehow unconvinced our midnight dreams are the wisdom of the unconscious. However this should not distract us from the great worth of the book and it should be thoroughly read and absorbed.

Undoubtedly, M. Peck Scott has provided to us a new approach to live our life and it should be adopted by many as the right course to embark upon.

A defining moment in my life was the reading of this book and 'a nation of victims'. We can take back our power when we stop blaming and assume responsibility. "we are free to act..or to be acted upon".

I just re-read Peck's classic, The Road Less Travelled. I first read it in 1986, shortly after beginning my first professional job in a rural county in Michigan. It was an immensely difficult time for me, at the age of 23. In October the year before, my father, who lived a hundred miles away, was in a motorcycle accident that incapacitated him for years. I knew no one in the place I lived. And I was brand new to the mental health profession, just learning to manage my own emotions about the changes in my life while learning how to understand patients with severe psychiatric conditions and my role in their treatment.

I had picked the book up because I thought I would read about good ideas to give my patients as they went through rough times. Instead, I was given an immense gift myself by reading it.

Dr. Peck's words here are easily read, but require careful concentration to understand. There is almost, I would say, a poetic quality about them. And it does, indeed, contain information about mental illness, explaining the difference between "neurosis" (a term that might refer to a variety of different problems in the current DSM)and psychosis; and between neurosis and sociopathology. This is all in terms a layman can understand, however.

What was more relevent to me at 23, and what I enjoyed re-reading the most this year, were some of the experiences the author had himself that became a moment of clarity for him. With these, and with colorful examples from his work, his homelife, and of some of his patients, he shows us some simple but important truths:

--Life will always be difficult.
--Delaying gratification is "the only decent way to live."
--Relationships require work and attention.
--Grace is the gift that faith brings us (in Christian terms, grace is God's unearned love; but Peck does not write from a strictly Christian perspective), and one that can make us stronger.

I believe that "The Road Less Travelled" is the most plain-speaking book I've read that also taught me a great deal. The experience of reading it at 23 was like reading a compass; it had an immense effect on my confidence and self-understanding, which is so important in my field.

This is a great book for everyone!! Especially those who have had a hard life. I found great truths that have helped me overcome an abusive childhood.

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?

This is the book that started it all: when I suffered from my worst ever crisis some seven years ago, it was one of the first books I read. TRLT is not exactly one of the best self-help books out there--Peck's weakest point is that although he gives good advice, he doesn't necessarily have command of what he's writing about--but it's definitely a good starting book for any self-help program. Some other great books, by the way, while you're at it --To Thine Own Self Be True, by Lewis M. Andrews and Even a Stone Can Be a Teacher, by Sheldon Kopp.

Few books have caught me the way this book did. Many of the other reviews you will read about this book discuss its simplicity, Christian or Puritan themes, etc. What I can say, however, is that The Road Less Travelled has a warmth, and assurance about it that makes one feel at ease with change. It provides a road map (structure) to life that really helped me tremendously. In particular, the section on religion and faith gave me new insights into spirituality. I feel much more in touch with my spirituality after reading this book. It is not a Bible, as some see it, but this book is extremely valable, and one to be treasured. Its insights are truly useful. Read, and enjoy, and read again.