Author(s): Clare Cooper Marcus

Culture Ideas Politics

House as a Mirror of Self is an unprecedented examination of our relationship to where we live, interwoven with compelling personal stories of the search for a place for the soul. It is not architecture or decorating styles or real estate, but about the more subtle bonds of feelings we experience with dwellings past and present. At the base of the book is a very simple, yet frequently overlooked premise: notably, that as we change and grow throughout our lives, our psychological development is punctuated not only by meaningful emotional relationships with people, but, also, by close affective ties with a number of significant physical environments, beginning in childhood. She explores how the self-image is reflected in our homes; power struggles in making a home together with a partner; territory, control and privacy at home; self-image and location; disruptions in the bonding with the home; and beyond the "house ego" to the call of the soul. As our culture becomes swept up in home improvement to the extent of having a TV network dedicated to it, this book is essential for understanding why the surroundings that we call home make us feel the way we do. With this information we can embark on home improvement that truly makes room for our soul.