Mapping The Terrain of The Heart

A reaction book report, written in first person about the book, Mapping The Terrain Of The Heart (Passion,Tenderness, and the capacity of Love). This book is written by Stephen Goldbart, Ph.D, and David Wallin, Ph.D. The reaction book report project should particularly address the six capacities discussed in the book by Goldbart and Wallin. Assess your defenses and how they are evident in your love relationships. For example, my personal defenses are anticipation, affiliation, humor, self assertion, self observation, and undoing. These defenses may be found in the Glossary of Specific Defense Mechanisms and Coping Styles. The pyschology research report should discuss which capacities are weaknesses, and which are streghths. How could your weaknesses or strengths assist or impede your work in counseling couples or individuals who are struggling with intimacy. How has your family orgin shaped your capacities? The grade for this book report is based on the students ability to reconize the need for personal growth, and to illuminate his/her own life.

In the end, it is clear that there are no easy answers to the process of relationships, especially those that require us to surrender the most sacred parts of ourselves to another individual. Despite this, however, it is clear that with the right tools and the willingness of the couple to work together, problem solving is possible. In the book report, state that the greatest challenge is working through personal issue that may impact the development of counseling skills. While this may indeed be a challenging process, the benefits that can be achieved from this journey far outweigh the drawbacks.