Confronting and solving problems is a painful process that most of us attempt to avoid, yet avoidance may result in even greater pain. Using his own professional experience, Dr M. Scott Peck, a psychiatrist, suggests ways in which facing our difficulties - and suffering through the ensuing changes - can enable us to reach a higher level of self-understanding He discusses the nature of loving relationships; how to recognise true compatibility; how to distinguish dependency from love; how to become one's own person, and how to be a more sensitive parent. This guide sets out to show you how to embrace reality and at the same time achieve serenity and a richer existence.