The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth

Chapter 5 asserts that the only way to overcome life’s problems is to acknowledge their existence, take responsibility, and accept the task of facing them. Peck offers examples from his clients’ lives to illustrate the dangers of denying responsibility. One client was a sergeant in Okinawa who kept getting in trouble for drinking too much. Peck offered other possible pastimes  but the client made excuses and insisted there was nothing else to do in Okinawa but drink. He was telling Peck that although he could occupy his time differently, he didn’t want to change. His denial precluded him from resolving his problem. The same was true for another of Peck’s clients. She had attempted suicide, which Peck learned was caused by her depression and isolation. He made suggestions for how she could make connections, but she insisted that they were all impossible, and as a result, her life remained unchanged. Peck asserts that because these clients wouldn’t take responsibility, they couldn’t exercise their agency.

In Chapter 6, Peck focuses on the idea that finding balance in life is a key to sustaining mental health, while assuming too much or too little responsibility can lead to mental and emotional disorders. Peck believes that the mission of maintaining mental and emotional balance is a lifelong project that is central to the human experience.