Description
Book SynopsisIn this groundbreaking work, Robert Sternberg opens the book of love and shows you how to discover your own story--and how to read your relationships in a whole new light. What draws us so strongly to some people and repels us from others? What makes some relationships work so smoothly and others burst into flames? Sternberg gives us new answers to these questions by showing that the kind of relationship we create depends on the kind of love stories we carry inside us. Drawing on extensive research and fascinating examples of real couples, Sternberg identifies 26 types of love story--including the fantasy story, the business story, the collector story, the horror story, and many others--each with its distinctive advantages and pitfalls, and many of which are clashingly incompatible. These are the largely unconscious preconceptions that guide our romantic choices, and it is only by becoming aware of the kind of story we have about love that we gain the freedom to create more fulfilling and lasting relationships. As long as we remain oblivious to the role our stories play, we are likely to repeat the same mistakes again and again. But the enlivening good news this book brings us is that though our stories drive us, we can revise them and learn to choose partners whose stories are more compatible with our own. Quizzes in each chapter help you to see which stories you identify with most strongly and which apply to your partner. Are you a traveler, a gardener, a teacher, or something else entirely? Love is a Story shows you how to find out.
Trade Review"Love is a Story comes to us from one of America's most insightful and clear-headed thinkers on the perplexing subject of love. I've long been a fan of Robert Sternberg, whose theories of relationships have proven enormously useful in my own work." -- Dr. Judith Sills, author of the bestselling Excess Baggage, and Loving Men More, Needing Men Less "A terrifically interesting and enjoyable book, one that will probably be read by married couples, singles, and the counselors who work with them."--Kirkus Reviews "This is an entertaining and thought-provoking look at the variety of love relationships. As usual, Sternberg takes an ancient, familiar problem and offers a novel, creative approach."--Roy F. Baumeister, author of Breaking Hearts: The Two Sides of Unrequited Love "Love is a Story comes to us from one of America's most insightful and clear-headed thinkers on the perplexing subject of love. I've long been a fan of Robert Sternberg, whose theories of relationships have proven enormously useful in my own work." -- Dr. Judith Sills, author of the bestselling Excess Baggage, and Loving Men More, Needing Men Less "In this illuminating book, one of psychology's most distinguished researchers brings clarity and insight to the topic of romantic love without stripping love of its romance.... Sternberg helps us identify and appreciate our own love stories, and he offers valuable suggestions about how to connect our stories to the stories of others, so that we may all live a little more happily."--Dan P. McAdams, Ph.D., Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Psychology and Human Development, Northwestern University
Table of ContentsPart I: Introduction ; 1. Love as a Story ; 2. Our Multiple Stories of Love ; 3. Story Elements ; 5. Where Do Stories Come from and Where Do They Go? ; 6. Stories We're Supposed to Tell: The Cultural Matrix ; Part II: Love Stories ; Art ; Business ; Collection ; Cookbook ; Fantasy ; Game ; Garden ; Government ; History ; Horror, House and Home ; Humorous ; Mystery ; Police ; Pornography ; Recovery ; Religion ; Science ; Science Fiction ; Sewing and Knitting ; Teacher and Student ; Theater-Script ; Travel ; Part III: Implications ; 7. Testing the Story View ; 8. What Is Love?
