Imperfect Control: Our Lifelong Struggles With Power and Surrender
Whose life is not impacted, if not defined, by issues of  control? Judith Viorst, author of bestsellingNecessary Losesand the recipient of various awards for her journalism and  psychological writings, cobbles an answer from a variety of sources--the works of biological and social scientists, psychoanalysts,  philosophers, personal stories, and her own inimitably fresh point of  view. Control--our lack of it, our desire to exercise it, our dread of  it--is an omnipresent detail of humanity. Still, we cling to the belief  in our freedom to get where we're going: our personal control. And  what, in this age ofit's in the genes, does control mean,  exactly?Citing adoption studies and twin research, Viorst asks--given all the  factors that predispose individuals to certain behaviors--what can we  reasonably expect to control? She scrutinizes control as it pertains to  sex, marriage, parenthood, and workplace dynamics. In the engaging  chapter "The Power of Sex," for example, she argues how  control is drastically different for women than for men, debunking some  powerful myths about male sexuality. The inquiry builds to that  experience over which we possess the least amount of control: death.  Viorst entreats us to regard our finitude consciously, particularly in  relation to lives "heroically" prolonged in the final throes  of terminal illness. She also addresses the issue of physician-assisted  suicide, offering moving examples that bear witness to "the  comfort of that control." Fascinating, funny, and insightful,Imperfect Controlinvites readers to seek the balance between  power and surrender.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.