A Good Apology
Four steps to make things right
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- £2.99
Publisher Description
'Beautifully outlines how our relationships can dramatically improve by an authentic way to repair' Eve Rodsky, bestselling author of Fair Play
'Practical, effective remedies that can help make reconciled relationships possible' Bishop Michael B Curry
In the vein of Hold Me Tight and The Body Keeps the Score, this paradigm-shifting book on apologies shows how they work, why they're so hard, and why they are essential for rebuilding relationships.
We've all done something wrong or made a mistake or insulted someone - even if by accident. We've all been hurt and wanted the other person to help us heal. It may be surprising, but the breaches themselves aren't the real problem; our inability to fix them is what causes us trouble.
In A Good Apology, clinical psychologist Dr. Molly Howes uses her experiences with patients in her practice, research findings, and news stories to illustrate the power and importance of a thorough apology. She teaches how we can all learn to craft an effective apology with four straightforward steps.
An apology is a small-scale event between people, but it's enormously powerful. This comprehensive book gives readers the tools to fix their relationships, make amends, and move forward. With it, you'll fully understand the meaning and importance of this universal and timeless endeavour: a good apology.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this inviting debut, clinical psychologist Howes uses her experience to provide advice for better apologies. She argues that "relationships are like a contact sport: We frequently bang and bruise one another, often without meaning to cause harm. If we want to participate fully, we need to develop the skills to recover from the inevitable hurts and get back in the game hopefully together." She guides readers through the steps of a good apology listen, sincerely take responsibility, make amends, and make changes to reduce future mistakes and explains potential pitfalls in the process and reasons why the seemingly simple steps can be so difficult to institute. Throughout, Howes illustrates her principles with stories of clients who have repaired serious relationship rifts. She also provocatively explores incidents in which apologies, successful and unsuccessful, have played out on a public stage, such as apologies professed during the #MeToo movement and debates over racial reparations. Each chapter concludes with a box of straightforward summary and practice scripts which are worth the price of the book in themselves. Those looking for a way to say sorry and mean it will learn much from Howe's approachable demystification of the art of the apology.
