Becoming Your Best: A Self-Help Guide for Thinking People

by Ronald W. Richardson

What makes for a good relationship? Author Ronald W. Richardson says that "good people make good relationships." Jane Austen would agree with him. Drawing on the insights of modern family systems theory, this self-help book for thinking people addresses the issues of emotional maturity, strength of character, values, and thoughtfulness in each partner and how these virtues each contribute to good relationships. Richardson, a certified marriage and family therapist, relies on his thirty years of clinical experience,teaching, and supervision for relevant,contemporary examples as he illustrates how good people make for good relationships. In addition, selections from Jane Austen's many novels provide an entertaining perspective on timeless truths.

Genres: Self Help

184 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2008

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book on how emotional maturity (or lack thereof) affects relationships. Richardson uses examples from the writings of Jane Austen to bolster and illustrate his points. In the final chapters, Richardson pulls it all together with examples from his own counseling practice. Good, practical read.

[Shannon Maddox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please see my review here:
http://iron-diva.blogspot.com/2017/02...

[Loriann Oberlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another gem of a book I recommend on my private practice website www.loriannoberlin.com. RIchardson, a pastoral counselor and author, has written numerous books extolling Bowen Family Systems theory. The subtitle of this book is "A Self-Help Guide for Thinking People," and it is.

Since Bowen theory has often been dubbed too theoretical at times and perhaps harder to understand, I do feel that Richardson chunks that down to the lay level discussing character and emotional maturity at the root of good and long-lasting relationships.

The theory itself is all about working on self. Chapters delineate that well: Good People Make Good Relationships, Is Virtue Boring or Bad, Why We Fail to Do Good, Anxiety, Calmness and Being a Self, Self-Knowledge, Happiness & Character in Relationships, Being Responsible for Self, and more.

RIchardson relates a lot to the work of Jane Austen on the importance of virtue, reason and self-control citing her book Sense and Sensibility a a didactic primer on how one accomplishes this. I felt perhaps at times the use of Austen could have been less. Additionally, the graphic design of this book is excellent helping to make it an easy-read. Highly recommend this book!

[Margaret Marcuson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this book. It's a guide to becoming more thoughtful about your life. While founded in Bowen Family Systems Theory, it is clear and doesn't use jargon. Richardson uses Jane Austen, one of my favorite authors, to talk about character, a subject that doesn't get a lot of attention nowadays. The subtitle, "A Self-Help Guide for Thinking People" is a great one, and accurate.