Handbook for Constructive Living (Latitude 20 Book) (Paperback)

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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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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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: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #289,467 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 57 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 (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.

27 of 27 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)

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.