Critique de Booklist

The authors, who hold Ed.D. degrees in adult education from Rutgers University and the University of Georgia, respectively, explore the interaction between work and love and the effect of that interaction on adult learning both theoretically (through analysis of psychological and sociological literature) and empirically (through a questionnaire on "work, love, and learning in adulthood" and in-depth interviews with 19 subjects). By graphing questionnaire responses, Merriam and Clark identify three common patterns of work-love interaction: a parallel pattern in which the two realms are intertwined, and change in one area produces change in the other; a steady/fluctuating pattern in which one area is consistently rated the same while the other fluctuates; and a divergent pattern in which there seems to be no link between the individual's work and relational experiences. All three patterns have a stabilizing factor that permits people to cope with change, and all provide opportunities for learning, which seems most likely to occur when a person's work and love situations are satisfying. Nonprofessionals will be encouraged by the notion that there is no single "right" way to balance the demands of love and work, but Lifelines is likely to be most useful to counselors, educators, human-resource professionals, and social workers who work with adults. ~--Mary Carroll