In The Five Love Languages, Dr. Gary Chapman talks about how different people express love in different ways. Some people are verbal, expressing their love in words. Others may never speak their affection, yet they show it by the things they do. Sadly, many couples look to receive love the same way they give it, misunderstanding their spouses. This can lead to quarrels, hurt feelings, and even divorce. However, if you understand each other's love languages, you can learn to give and receive love more effectively.
Amazon.com Review
Unhappiness in marriage often has a simple root cause: we speak different love languages, believes Dr. Gary Chapman. While working as a marriage counselor for more than 30 years, he identified five love languages: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch. In a friendly, often humorous style, he unpacks each one. Some husbands or wives may crave focused attention; another needs regular praise. Gifts are highly important to one spouse, while another sees fixing a leaky faucet, ironing a shirt, or cooking a meal as filling their "love tank." Some partners might find physical touch makes them feel valued: holding hands, giving back rubs, and sexual contact. Chapman illustrates each love language with real-life examples from his counseling practice.
How do you discover your spouse’s – and your own – love language? Chapman’s short questionnaires are one of several ways to find out. Throughout the book, he also includes application questions that can be answered more extensively in the beautifully detailed companion leather journal (an exclusive Amazon.com set). Each section of the journal corresponds with a chapter from the book, offering opportunities for deeper reflection on your marriage.
Although some readers may find choosing to love a spouse that they no longer even like –hoping the feelings of affection will follow later– a difficult concept to swallow, Chapman promises that the results will be worth the effort. "Love is a choice," says Chapman. "And either partner can start the process today." --Cindy Crosby. This text refers to the Amazon.com Exclusive Journal & Paperback Book Set. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Dr. Gary Chapman is a well-known marriage counselor and director of marriage seminars. He is also a pastor in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he has served for over 25 years. He is the best-selling author of The Five Love Languages, which has topped the bestseller charts for years, and has sold over 825,000 copies. He also wrote Loving Solutions, which is a 1999 Gold Medallion Book Award recipient. His other releases include The Other Side of Love, Five Signs of a Loving Family, Toward a Growing Marriage, and Hope for the Separated. He has co-authored The Five Love Languages of Children and Parenting Your Adult Child with Dr. Ross Campbell.
Dr. Chapman and his wife, Karolyn, have been married for more than 35 years and have two grown children, Shelley and Derek.