Making Great Relationships

Name: Making Great Relationships
Rating: 4.5 (1 reviews)
ISBN: 9780593577950

Simple Practices for Solving Conflicts, Building Connection, and Fostering Love

By Rick Hanson

Rick Hanson organizes fifty short practices into six parts—befriending yourself, warming the heart, finding peace with others, standing your ground, speaking wisely, and loving the wider world. Each practice draws on neuroscience and mindfulness, and the progression moves deliberately from self-compassion outward to communication, conflict, and forgiveness. The book suits anyone who wants concrete, research-grounded skills for improving relationships without overhauling their life all at once.

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Concepts

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Feed the Wolf of Love
A reference to the Cherokee two-wolves parable, reminding us to deliberately nourish love, empathy, and kindness rather than feeding resentment and fear.
Self Loyalty
The practice of being genuinely on your own side—meeting your own needs, treating yourself with compassion, and not abandoning yourself in the service of keeping others comfortable.
Unilateral Virtue
Acting with honesty, fairness, and care regardless of how the other person is behaving, rather than making good conduct conditional on the other person's behavior.
Calm Strength
A grounded inner steadiness that allows you to stand your ground in conflict without escalating into reactivity or collapsing into accommodation.

Chapters

Introduction
Part 1. Befriend Yourself
Chapter 1. Be Loyal to Yourself
Chapter 2. Let Be, Let Go, Let In
Chapter 3. Rrst in Calm Strength
Chapter 4. Feel Cared About
Chapter 5. Accept Yourself
Chapter 6. Respect Your Needs
Chapter 7. Have Compassion for Yourself
Chapter 8. Know You're a Good Person
Chapter 9. Trust Yourself
Chapter 10. Gift Yourself
Chapter 11. Forgive Yourself
Part 2. Warm the Heart
Chapter 12. Feed the Wolf of Love
Chapter 13. See the Person behind the Eyes
Chapter 14. Have Compassion for Them
Chapter 15. See the Good in Others
Chapter 16. Appreciate Their Deeper Desires
Chapter 17. Be Kind
Chapter 18. Put No One Out of Your Heart
Chapter 19. Trust in Love
Part 3. Be at Peace with Others
Chapter 20. Take It Less Personally
Chapter 21. Get Out of the War in Your Head
Chapter 22. Accept Them
Chapter 23. Relax, You're Going To Be Criticized
Chapter 24. Take Care of Your Side of the Street
Part 4. Stand Up For Yourself
Chapter 25. Let Go of Needless Fear
Chapter 26. Find Your Ground
Chapter 27. Ue Anger, Don't Let It Use You
Chapter 28. Tell the Truth and Play Fair
Chapter 29. Don't Be Afraid
Part 5. Speak Wisely
Chapter 30. Watch Your Words
Chapter 31. Say What's True
Chapter 32. Speak from the Heart
Chapter 33. Ask Questions
Chapter 34. Express Appreciation
Chapter 35. Try a Softer Tone
Chapter 36. Don't Rain on the Parade
Chapter 37. Give Them What They Want
Chapter 38. See Your Part
Chapter 39. Admit Fauly and Move On
Chapter 40. Drop the Case
Chapter 41. Stay Right When You're Wronged
Chapter 42. Talk about Talking
Chapter 43. Say What You Want
Chapter 44. Come to Agreement
Chapter 45. Resize the Relationship
Chapter 46. Forgive Them
Part 6. Love the World
Chapter 47. Love What's Real
Chapter 48. Take Heart
Chapter 49. Vote
Chapter 50 Cherish the Earth
Acknowledgements

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Rating

Published

February 4, 2025

Publisher

Random House

Links

rickhanson.com/writings/books/making-great-relationships

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