Getting Together [antikvár]

Introduction Whether we are young or old, rich or poor, American, Brazilian, or Russian, we all have relationships that are important to us. Even Robinson Crusoe had his man Friday. It is through our relations with others that we work and play, earn a living, build a family, cope with problems, and enjoy life. Not only infants depend on others. We all do. The world does not start afresh every morning. Each day we deal with people we have met before and will meet again. We complain to the landlord, listen to the boss, handle a customer, smooth out a family quarrel, or visit a friend. In almost every case, the fact that the relationship is continuing affects the outcome of the encounter. Stripped of our ongoing relationships, we would have no family, no friends, no colleagues, no employees, no supervisors, no government, no customers, and no one to write us a letter or meet us for lunch. Some relationships work better than others. We all know people with whom we feel comfortable, secure, able to talk through a problem, and confident. With others we feel uncomfortable, frustrated, and mistrustful. We rarely understand why some relationships work well and others don't. We tend to accept the quality of a relationship as inevitable: "That's the way it is. We just don't get along." We blame problems on the other person and assume that there is little we can do to improve the way we interact. Although it takes two to have a relationship, it takes only one to change its quality. Just as we react to others, they , r.'