Ch. 4, The Difficult Art of Maturity Summary and Analysis

Several years ago, someone asked Eleanor Roosevelt for the definition of a mature person. Since then, she has revised her definition to include self-knowledge. Unfortunately, there is a danger of becoming absorbed in self-evaluation which can only be evaded by tempering praise with derogatory remarks. Eleanor Roosevelt inherits her good will from her husband being President. Self-knowledge requires humility. Many people fear self-knowledge because they assume it is about discovering only bad things about themselves. This is not true; self-knowledge is mainly about learning one's inner strengths, but it is necessary to accept one's own limitations. It is also necessary to accept others' limitations, such as in the example of a young woman whose feelings were hurt when her husband constantly forgot birthdays and anniversaries. Eventually, she realized that this was...