or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
Trade in Yours
For a £0.78 Gift Card
Trade in
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Colour:
Image not available

 
Tell the Publisher!
I’d like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

A General Theory of Love (Vintage) [Paperback]

Thomas Lewis , Fari Amini , Richard Lannon
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
RRP: £16.00
Price: £12.17 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £3.83 (24%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
Only 3 left in stock (more on the way).
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon. Gift-wrap available.
Want delivery by Tuesday, 28 May? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Hardcover --  
Paperback £12.17  
Trade In this Item for up to £0.78
Trade in A General Theory of Love (Vintage) for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.78, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Learn more

Book Description

2 Jan 2001 Vintage
Drawing comparisons to the most eloquent science writing of our day, three eminent psychiatrists tackle the difficult task of reconciling what artists and thinkers have known for thousands of years about the human heart with what has only recently been learned about the primitive functions of the human brain. The result is an original, lucid, at times moving account of the complexities of love and its essential role in human well-being.

A General Theory of Love draws on the latest scientific research to demonstrate that our nervous systems are not self-contained: from earliest childhood, our brains actually link with those of the people close to us, in a silent rhythm that alters the very structure of our brains, establishes life-long emotional patterns, and makes us, in large part, who we are. Explaining how relationships function, how parents shape their child’s developing self, how psychotherapy really works, and how our society dangerously flouts essential emotional laws, this is a work of rare passion and eloquence that will forever change the way you think about human intimacy.

Frequently Bought Together

A General Theory of Love (Vintage) + Essays In Love
Price For Both: £18.46

Buy the selected items together
  • Essays In Love £6.29


Product details

  • Paperback: 274 pages
  • Publisher: Vintage Books; Reprint edition (2 Jan 2001)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0375709223
  • ISBN-13: 978-0375709227
  • Product Dimensions: 13.3 x 1.5 x 20.3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 59,129 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Authors

Discover books, learn about writers, and more.

Inside This Book (Learn More)
First Sentence
Two girls discover the sectret of life in a sudden line of poetry. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
Search inside this book:

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Customer Reviews

3 star
0
2 star
0
1 star
0
4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 36 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Love and Security 11 Sep 2008
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I came to "A General Theory of Love" through a recommendation by a leading personal coach and emotional intelligence expert. Having read it, I understand why he thought so highly of this book.

The title sounds almost contradictory, yet the authors really do elucidate the nature of love, how it is enabled and how it is suppressed. They eloquently explain how humans are essentially emotional animals, no matter how evolved our logical brains have become. They describe how this has enormous impact on how we make choices in our lives about all manner of things, in our almost blind pursuit of happiness.

This book should be high on the reading list of anyone who wants to better understand the nature of human relationships of any kind. It offers insight into the reasons for feelings and behaviours of individuals, whether in partner relationships, friendships or the workplace. Perhaps more valuably, it explains the impact of parents, partners and society on the development of a person's ability to form loving relationships and to have emotional stability, more generally.

The authors make their points eloquently throughout the book, citing plenty of academic research to validate their arguments. For those inclined to further research any aspects, there are references aplenty.

"A General Theory of Love" is beautifully written. I would recommend this book to existing or budding parents, actual or potential lovers and indeed, human beings in any culture or society.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
54 of 56 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
A bold yet delicate approach. I very much appreciated the second chapter in helping me understand the basic structure of the brain.

I believe this book to be a challenge to complacency that may exist among people working in the mental health field. It questions some assumptions that all troubles may be treated by a cognitive or behavioural approach and that the 'talking cure' may be enough.

I was delighted to read that "A capable therapist shares much with a good reader - he must willingly suspend his belief in the rules he know and approach a personal universe whose workings should be unimaginable to the uninitated".

I loved the encouragement to suspend knowing and maintain "a childlike capacity for wonder". I was both inspired and relieved to read these authors.

Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars It rings 100% true 26 Mar 2006
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is such a rich book, it rewards multiple re-readings. To understand love from the perspective of science, one has to understand how the brain works, and the authors do an outstanding job of covering vast amounts of ground to enable this. It's easy to lose count of the sheer number of new insights including areas such as evolution, memory and visual perception as well as romantic and (especially) parental love.

But this is no soulless text book. Indeed, it has been criticised for being a bit flowery, and in places it is. The authors' contention is that this is a subject only art and literature have previously handled, and perhaps this is their way of paying respect to the massive insights gained over the millenia. For me, it works. It is not a typical science book by any means, and this will suit some perfectly and others not at all.

It is a shame that this is a barrier for some people. It is hard to believe that the whole world wouldn't gain from absorbing a little of the book's contents. Very readable, it rings 100% true.

Was this review helpful to you?
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?   Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars An extraordinary insight into the physiology of emotional attachments
Whilst indisputably a 'popular' book, this is also quite academic, in many regards, not shying away from fairly detailed descriptions of brain activity, structure and so forth. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mark B
5.0 out of 5 stars How people tick
I borrowed my friends copy of this book several years ago, and thought it was excellent. It explores why people feel how they do, and how they interact. Read more
Published 5 months ago by PeterPallin
4.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant but verbose.
This book has certainly thrown a lot of light on the causes of both my and others' behaviours, particularly when it comes to being drawn magnetically to other people who do not... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Ludwig Van Pantz
5.0 out of 5 stars book review
An amazing book, really explains why we think or feel certain things, emotions etc. Can't praise it highly enough. On a par with A Compassionate Mind. Both well worth buying.
Published 20 months ago by speedy
4.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating book on love, but intriguing how it struggles with the...
This is a magnificent, rare example of beautiful and humane writing about the science and psychology of love. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Gordouli
5.0 out of 5 stars intelligent, informed and sweet at the same time
This book takes a scientific view on human attachment patterns with some biology and neuropsychology thrown in and it manages to be sympathetic and informative at the same time. Read more
Published on 22 Mar 2011 by Ayemadre
5.0 out of 5 stars clear, poetic, essential
this book explains so much about how we create, interact and change emotionally; about the drivers of our lives. Read more
Published on 10 Aug 2010 by S. F. M. Keddie
5.0 out of 5 stars If you want to understand human beings...
You need to understand Attachment Theory if you are going to work with people or want to understand them/yourself. Read more
Published on 16 July 2008 by Zeta
5.0 out of 5 stars Coping with reason and emotions the right way
I was surprised how little I knew about how the brain works after all my studies. The book explains convincingly that our emotions are in the limbic brain and our reasoning in the... Read more
Published on 18 Jun 2008 by laurens van den muyzenberg
5.0 out of 5 stars emotionally enlightening
This book was recommended by a close friend in the US. After reading it ,I have already sent copies to 8 friends. Flowery? I call it poetic and accessible to a layperson like me.
Published on 6 Feb 2008 by M. Marques
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Feedback


Amazon.co.uk Privacy Statement Amazon.co.uk Delivery Information Amazon.co.uk Returns & Exchanges