M Scott Peck's 1978 book The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth became an instant classic of self-help and popular psychology. In fact, the book helped to kick-start a revolution in the American publishing world, which since Peck's book has been flooded with books on similar topics addressing relationship issues, self-improvement, and the fusion of clinical psychology with new age spirituality. Peck's book addresses four main issues: discipline, love, growth and religion; and grace. The Road Less Traveled is subsequently divided into those four sections. The underlying premise of Peck's work is that psychological health equals spiritual health and that much mental illness signals a disconnection from fundamental spiritual truths. The Road Less Traveled synthesizes Peck's clinical observations with his understanding about diverse spiritual paths, ranging from Christianity to Buddhism. Consequently, the author infuses the book with a myriad of theoretical viewpoints that improve readers' ability to approach psychological, social, and emotional problems. Important not only for the validity of what Peck says throughout the book, but also because of its centrality in the American pop psychology movement, The Road Less Traveled remains a self-help classic. The book also has potential clinical applications and cannot be ignored by the more orthodox psychological community.

             Review.

             The first section of The Road Less Traveled encompasses discipline and therefore lays the groundwork and establishes the tone for the remainder of the book. Peck reminds readers continually that "Problems do not go away," (p. 30). Ignoring problems is, according to the author, a huge impediment to psychological healing. Too often, people seek instant gratification by avoiding problems and pretending they will vanish on their own. Problems must be dealt with systematically, brutally, and with a willingness to confront and experience pain.