The Mystery of Meeting: Relationships as a Path of Discovery

by Steve Briault

Overview

What really happens in relationships? Why do they affect us to deeply? Why do we long for a sense of community yet so aggressively assert our individualism? What are the risks and benefits of genuine human encounter? Drawing on far-reaching perspectives from psychology, philosophy, management and economics, The Mystery of Meeting explores these questions from a unique viewpoint, offering insight and guidance for developing healthy relationships. The author elaborates powerful ways of working with the dynamics of relationships within personal, community and business contexts. Encountering another person, he says, is a 'threshold-experience'. Each individual is an unknown world, and through meeting we are confronted with developmental challenges as well as opportunities for profound personal development.

This stimulating book presents groundbreaking ideas for managers, professionals, educators, communicators, and anyone who wishes to improve everyday relationships.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781855842335
Publisher:	Rudolf Steiner Press
Publication date:	05/28/2010
Series:	Bringing Spirit to Life Series
Pages:	141
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.60(d)

Table of Contents

Why I wrote this book 1

I Meeting Our Thresholds 3

1 Thresholds and Individuation 5

Individuation 8

2 Three Thresholds 10

What is a Threshold? 10

The outer threshold 14

The inner threshold 15

The relational threshold 17

3 Threshold Phenomena 23

The threshold of thinking 23

The threshold of feeling 25

The threshold of will 28

Synergy of the three thresholds 29

4 The Archetype of the Social Threshold 32

Verifying the phenomena 34

Threshold phenomena in the three soul-forces 37

Working with the phenomena 38

5 Relationships at the Threshold 44

Trust and distrust-benign and vicious cycles 46

Managing the relationship process 48

Empathy 50

Meeting the shadow 56

'Beauty and the Beast'-a parable of encounter and transformation across the relational threshold 59

II The Threshold of Intimacy 65

6 Families at the Threshold 67

Parenting, Step-parenting and the question of freedom 67

Can love be free? 70

The subconscious and the self-conscious in family relationships 71

The threshold between siblings 75

7 Couples at the Threshold 79

Three levels of love 79

Dependency and autonomy 83

Intimacy and Individualism 88

The Angel and Double of a relationship 91

Confrontation without conflict; support without collusion 93

Commitment without compulsion 97

III The Third Threshold at Work 101

8 The Customer-Supplier Threshold 103

Customers are from Venus, suppliers are from Mars 104

Service, commitment and purchasing power 106

'Delivering real value for customers creates joy in the supplier' 108

From transaction to Partnership 109

9 The Management/Leadership Threshold 112

Co-ordination and subordination 112

Clarity, empathy, energy-and trust 115

Clear communication 115

Warmth of feeling 117

Good will 119

10 The Collegial Threshold 122

What qualities do people look for in their colleagues? 122

How is good colleagueship built? 123

11 Organizational Thresholds 127

Organizational boundaries as designed thresholds 127

Alienation and belonging 129

Organizations as mirrors of human nature 131

IV The Meaning of the Third Threshold 135

12 Human relationships and human rights 137

Acknowledgements 143