Customer Reviews
Great for understanding group process:
The clarity with which Peck describes the process through which a group progresses, from the inevitablity of a tentative attempt at community (psuedo-community) in the beginning to the experience of a healthy, genuine community in the end, is illuminating. The insight that chaos and a sense of emptiness are necessary, unavoidable steps in this journey is especially helpful since it normalizes these difficult, sometimes frightening phases, and points to the realistic hope that the group will not get stuck in the chaos. If the members give themselves to the process genuine community will be their reward . . . an experience which, sadly, is a rare one for most groups.
Relevant, Insightful, Provocative, Life-Changing. A must-read!:
Once again Peck’s integrative approach (integrating psychology, spirituality (not dogma), and philosophy with practical experience) has produced a work of profound depth and value. In our times of “global war,” the doctor’s ideas about community making and peace are a prescription we could all benefit from.
In the context of spirituality, Peck draws from the Christian tradition as well as Judaism and eastern philosophy (e.g. Zen). However, readers of any religious persuasion should find abundant value and wisdom in this book.
On a personal note, his portrayal of a healthy non-dogmatic Christianity made me want to become a Christian when I first read his work many years ago. This book, along with the “Road Less Traveled” series had a profound impact on my life and will remain at eye-level on my ever-growing bookshelf forever.
[If you’re interested in good non-dogmatic and readable Christian theology and life-changing ideas, and find that you’re not getting any at Church… as I had found… I also highly recommend works by Richard Rohr.]
Peck Mixes Spirituality with Common Sense:
Community isn’t what we think it is. Peck does an impeccable job of explaining true community and why it is so elusive in our society. Though he mentions over and over that he is an idealist, Peck presents some very intelligent arguments as to why a community approach just makes sense. He isn’t naive either. He says the road to community can be painful and extremely hard.
A developmental model psychospirituality:
After being catapulted to fame by his first book–the best-selling “The Road Less Travelled” –psychiatrist Morgan Scott Peck follows it up with another one on psychology and spirituality. The chapter that captured my interest without let was the one on his theory of psychospiritual development. He delineates four stages, each representing a more mature level of development than the preceding stage.
Peck claims that he arrived at this theory through experience, although he footnotes the fact that there have been many theories on psychological development prior to his, the most recent being a six-stage faith developmental model (see “Stages of Faith” by James W. Fowler)
Although Peck’s elucidation of his theory is informal and sketchy, I find his model of psychospiritual development idiosyncratic enough to be regarded as a separate theory by itself.
Peck aptly calls it psychospiritual since it has both psychological and spiritual/religious dimensions. It is much akin to the developmental theories in psychology, yet it has a very strong religious flavor–Stage 1 being the lack of spirituality/ethical behavior, Stage 2 as orthodoxly religious, Stage 3 as a time of religious skepticism or atheism, and Stage 4 the mystical level.
Yet I believe Peck’s theory tends to be ethically judgmental in character, i.e., it explicitly holds the higher stages as undeniably better than the lower ones, and tends to describe people in ethical terms–’chaotic/unprincipled’ (Stage 1), or dogmatic (Stage 2), or principled (Stage 3)
Nevertheless, I see the veracity of such categories, albeit demanding much care and caution. Pigeonholing, specially in ethical terms, is dangerous business and can easily be misused and abused. However, I believe that Dr. Peck has realized the limitations of his theory and has provided caveats and exceptions in his later books, such as in “Further Along the Road Less Travelled”
M. Scott Peck: The Different Drum:
I recommend this book to anyone who wants to embark on a spiritual journey of self acceptance. I could not put this book down. Its clear and easy to understand. Thank YOu Dr. Peck
