Summary of Katherine Woodward Thomas's Conscious Uncoupling

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

Book Preview: #1 The loss of a relationship, particularly if it was romantic in nature, is often considered a failure. We assume that a relationship that ends for any reason other than one or both people dying is a failure.

#2 The root of the word shame is to cover, and it is characterized by the need to hide from the eyes of the world. It is especially common in situations where we feel social inadequacy.

#3 According to Ruth Benedict, the difference between shame and guilt is that with shame, we feel bad about our defects and mistakes, whereas with guilt, we feel bad about our own core values.

#4 When we don’t meet our expectations, our brains receive a dopamine hit, which makes us feel good. But when our expectations are not met, our stress levels skyrocket, and our brains shift into a threat state.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Feb 24, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669352570

IRB Media

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Insights on Katherine Woodward Thomas's Conscious Uncoupling

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The loss of a relationship, particularly if it was romantic in nature, is often considered a failure. We assume that a relationship that ends for any reason other than one or both people dying is a failure.

#2

The root of the word shame is to cover, and it is characterized by the need to hide from the eyes of the world. It is especially common in situations where we feel social inadequacy.

#3

According to Ruth Benedict, the difference between shame and guilt is that with shame, we feel bad about our defects and mistakes, whereas with guilt, we feel bad about our own core values.

#4

When we don’t meet our expectations, our brains receive a dopamine hit, which makes us feel good. But when our expectations are not met, our stress levels skyrocket, and our brains shift into a threat state.

#5

I have always been an amateur anthropologist. I will often relate my own personal experience in an impersonal way. I noticed that I felt inferior to others who seemed happily coupled, as well as fearful that others might be looking down on me now that I was single again.

#6

The idea of living happily ever after originated in the sixteenth century in Venice, Italy. It was a new aspiration in love that quickly spread throughout the world. Why did this happen.

#7

The first thing that made the Venetians so unhappy was the life expectancy of less than forty years. The second was the rigid and oppressive class structure of the day. The poor were unable to escape their poverty in reality, so they escaped it in books.

#8

The human potential movement began with the efforts of greats such as William James, Viktor Frankl, Abraham Maslow, and Carl Rogers. Yet, it was the undeterred Venetians who were responsible for popularizing the practice of imagining a better way.

#9

The myth of living happily ever after may have outstayed its welcome. We must consider the fact that most of us will not have one lifelong partner to whom we will remain faithful for better or for worse and until death do us part.

#10

The end of love is not an indication that we no longer believe in love. In fact, we are the relentless believers in love and lifelong union. However, given the realities of our time, which include the postmodern tensions between the stability of marriage and American ideals of individual freedom, self-expression, and personal growth, we must accept