"As we learn to truly respect one another's differences, the most sought-after ideal — loving partnership that fosters emotional and spiritual growth — is becoming a reality," writes Art Klein in this valuable resource about intimacy by relationship counselors and trainers Judith Sherven and James Sniechowski. It is an enthralling adventure to fall in love but it takes large reserves of patience, understanding, openness, and forgiveness to deal with the differences between partners.
Using illustrative material from case studies, present-day culture, and their own lives, Sherven and Sniechowski begin with the necessity for partners to recognize and value the differences between them and to realize that love is a long but fulfilling learning experiences. They then explore the difficulties which turn up in in modern relationships, such as romantic fantasies, entitlement, unwillingness to take ownership of problems, and repeated poor choices.
There are tools here that will help couples create and maintain rewarding relationships, such as negotiating differences, developing trust, and the process of fair fighting. In the closing chapters, Sherven and Sniechowski affirm the wisdom and the wonder of relationships built upon respect for differences.
