Setting Psychological Boundaries

Based on a solid framework of theory and research, this book illustrates definitive ways in which we learn to recognize psychological boundaries—our unique inner territory—and to defend our rights in every relationship. In a study that interweaves poetry, drama, and psychological theory, the author describes patterns of family dynamics in the context of everyday lives and how they affect us from generation to generation until we break the destructive chain. Following the paths of ten remarkable women, from the narrative of a resourceful inner-city child to the survival of a Holocaust victim, this luminous book, filled with compelling voices, will touch the reader in unexpected ways.

"I enjoyed reading this book not only because it is easy to relate it to the life of family and friends, but mostly because of the scattered little gems Wallace dug up and held up to the light....Wallace, whose grandmother and mother were both writers, truly has produced something of vaue here." - Daily Record, "Interweaving poems as well as scholarly research and theories, Wallace achieves a very readable, helpful work for women in all walks of life. Using language that is very understandable and non-scholarly, Wallace shows the reader how to handle problems of control, conflict, power struggles, and setting limits....This is a powerful book, one that should be on its way to being a best seller." - The Recorder Publishing Co., "The language throughout is clear, direct, and definitively illustrates ways in which we learn to handle issues of control and power, setting limits, and resolving conflicts....Setting Psychological Boundaries is reccommended for...." - THE MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW

ANNE COPE WALLACE is a teacher, freelance writer, and award-winning poet who lives in Madison, New Jersey.