Influence and Autonomy in Psychoanalysis

Influence and Autonomy in Psychoanalysis
Author: Stephen A. Mitchell
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 259
Release: 2014-01-14
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1317771192

Stephen A. Mitchell has been at the forefront of the broad paradigmatic shift in contemporary psychoanalysis from the traditional one-person model to a two-person, interactive, relational perspective. In Influence and Autonomy in Psychoanalysis, Mitchell provides a critical, comparative framework for exploring the broad array of concepts newly developed for understanding interactive processes between analysand and analyst. Drawing on the broad traditions of Kleinian theory and interpersonal psychoanalysis, as well as object relations and progressive Freudian thought, he considers in depth the therapeutic action of psychoanalysis, anachronistic ideals like anonymity and neutrality, the nature of analytic knowledge and authority, and the problems of gender and sexual orientation in the age of postmodernism. The problem of influence guides his discussion of these and other topics. How, Mitchell asks, can analytic clinicians best protect the patient’s autonomy and integrity in the context of our growing appreciation of the enormous personal impact of the analyst on the process? Although Mitchell explores many facets of the complexity of the psychoanalytic process, he presents his ideas in his customarily lucid, jargon-free style, making this book appealing not only to clinicians with various backgrounds and degrees of experience, but also to lay readers interested in the achievements of, and challenges before, contemporary psychoanalysis. A splendid effort to relate parallel lines of theorizing and derivative changes in clinical practice and informed by mature clinical judgment and broad scholarship into the history of psychoanalytic ideas, Influence and Autonomy in Psychoanalysis takes a well-deserved place alongside Mitchell’s previous books. It is a brilliant synthesis of converging insights that have transformed psychoanalysis in our time, and a touchstone for enlightened dialogue as psychoanalysis approaches the millennium.

A Meeting of Minds

A Meeting of Minds
Author: Lewis Aron
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 315
Release: 2013-06-17
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1135061041

In this richly nuanced assessment of the various dimensions of mutuality in psychoanalysis, Aron shows that the relational approach to psychoanalysis is a powerful guide to issues of technique and therapeutic strategy. From his reappraisal of the concepts of interaction and enactment, to his examination of the issue of analyst self-disclosure, to his concluding remarks on the relational import of the analyst's ethics and values, Aron squarely accepts the clinical responsibilities attendant to a postmodern critique of psychoanalytic foundations.

Relationality

Relationality
Author: Stephen A. Mitchell
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2014-03-18
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1317771087

In his final contribution to the psychoanalytic literature published two months before his untimely death on December 21, 2000, the late Stephen A. Mitchell provided a brilliant synthesis of the interrelated ideas that hover around, and describe aspects of, the relational matrix of human experience. Relationality charts the emergence of the relational perspective in psychoanalysis by reviewing the contributions of Loewald, Fairbairn, Bowlby, and Sullivan, whose voices converge in apprehending the fundamental relationality of mind. Mitchell draws on the multiple dimensions of attachment, intersubjectivity, and systems theory in espousing a clinical approach equally notable for its responsiveness and responsible restraint. Relationality "signals a new height in Mitchell's always illuminating writing" (Nancy Chodorow) and marks the "coming of age" of the relational perspective in psychoanalysis (Peter Fonagy).

The Good Life

The Good Life
Author: Jeffrey B. Rubin
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Total Pages: 142
Release: 2012-02-01
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 0791484491

Psychoanalysts have traditionally been expert at uncovering what afflicts and damages people, argues Jeffrey B. Rubin, but by focusing on narcissism and perversions, depression and sadism, psychoanalysis has all too often disregarded what nourishes and sustains us. In The Good Life, he demonstrates how psychoanalysis can make a profound contribution to the well-lived life by drawing on a neglected but potent aspect of psychoanalysis—its capacity to illuminate a psychology of health as well as illness. Rubin shows that, at its best, psychoanalysis can highlight both the ingredients of love, ethics, creativity, and spirituality, as well as the obstacles to experiencing them. Exploring the good life from this dual perspective provides an indispensable resource for helping us live with greater meaning and vitality.

Secrets of the Soul

Secrets of the Soul
Author: Eli Zaretsky
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 450
Release: 2005-08-09
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1400079233

The fledgling science of psychoanalysis permanently altered the nineteenth-century worldview with its remarkable new insights into human behavior and motivation. It quickly became a benchmark for modernity in the twentieth century--though its durability in the twenty-first may now be in doubt. More than a hundred years after the publication of Freud’s The Interpretation of Dreams, we’re no longer in thrall, says cultural historian Eli Zaretsky, to the “romance” of psychotherapy and the authority of the analyst. Only now do we have enough perspective to assess the successes and shortcomings of psychoanalysis, from its late-Victorian Era beginnings to today’s age of psychopharmacology. In Secrets of the Soul, Zaretsky charts the divergent schools in the psychoanalytic community and how they evolved–sometimes under pressure–from sexism to feminism, from homophobia to acceptance of diversity, from social control to personal emancipation. From Freud to Zoloft, Zaretsky tells the story of what may be the most intimate science of all.

Conservative and Radical Perspectives on Psychoanalytic Knowledge

Conservative and Radical Perspectives on Psychoanalytic Knowledge
Author: Aner Govrin
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 323
Release: 2015-11-06
Genre: History
ISBN: 1317515137

Psychoanalysis really should not exist today. Until a few years ago, most of the evidence suggested that its time was drawing to a close, and yet psychoanalysis demonstrated remarkable resilience in the face of criticism, alongside significant resurgence over the course of the last years. In "Conservative and Radical Perspectives on Psychoanalytic Knowledge: The Fascinated and the Disenchanted" psychoanalyst and philosopher Aner Govrin describes the mechanisms of sociology within the psychoanalytic community which have enabled it to withstand the hostility levelled at it and to flourish as an intellectual and pragmatic endeavour. He defends the most criticized aspect of psychoanalysis: the fascination of analysts with their theories. Govrin demonstrates that fascination is a common phenomenon in science and shows its role in the evolution of psychoanalysis. Govrin argues that throughout its history, psychoanalysis has successfully embraced an amalgam of what he has defined and termed "fascinated" and "troubled communities." A "fascinated community" is a group that embraces a psychoanalytic theory (such as Bion's, Klein's, Winnicott s) as one embraces truth. A "troubled community" is one that is not satisfied with the state of psychoanalytic knowledge and seeks to generate a fundamental change that does not square with existing traditions (such as new psychoanalytic schools, scientifically troubled communities and the relational approach). It is this amalgam and the continuous tension between these two groups that are responsible for psychoanalysis' rich and varied development and for its ability to adapt to a changing world. Clinical vignettes from the work of Robert Stolorow, Betty Joseph, Antonino Ferro and Michael Eigen illustrate the dynamic by which psychoanalytic knowledge is formed. "Conservative and Radical Perspectives on Psychoanalytic Knowledge" will be of interest to psychoanalysts, psychotherapists and philosophers alike.

Unknowable, Unspeakable, and Unsprung

Unknowable, Unspeakable, and Unsprung
Author: Jean Petrucelli
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 291
Release: 2016-11-03
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1134973160

Unknowable, Unspeakable, and Unsprung delves into the mysteries of scandalous behavior- behavior that can seem shocking, unfathomable, or self-destructive - that is outrageous and offensive on the one hand, yet fascinating and exciting on the other. In the process, this anthology asks fundamental questions about the self: what the self is allowed to be and do, what must be disallowed, and what remains unknown. Clinicians strive to know their patients’ selves, and their own, as fully as possible, while also facing the inevitable riddles these selves present. Covering topics ranging from trauma, politics, the analyst’s subjectivity, and eating disorders and the body, to self-revelation, secrets, evil, and boundary issues, a distinguished group of authors bring the theory, practice, and application of contemporary psychoanalysis to life. In doing so, they use psychoanalytic perspectives not only to illuminate struggles that afflict patients seeking treatment, but to shed light, more broadly, on contemporary human dilemmas. This collection offers not a unified voice, but rather the sound of many, each in its own way trying to articulate the indescribable, the unwanted, and the off limits. It is a book that raises more questions than can be answered, complicates as much as clarifies, and contains the essential paradox of trying to talk about aspects of clinical and human experience that can never be fully seen or known. Unknowable, Unspeakable, and Unsprung offers invaluable reading to interested mental health professionals as well as to anyone intrigued by the secrets of the self.

From Dependency to Autonomy

From Dependency to Autonomy
Author: Eric John Miller
Publisher: Free Assn Books
Total Pages: 342
Release: 1993
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9781853433351

In this absorbing collection Eric Miller draws on the experience of three decades as organizational consultant to various sorts of institutions, employing approaches drawn from psychoanalysis, systems theory and the group relations movement. He has worked and is esteemed throughout the world. Since all his work has been conducted in the midst of ongoing and temporary institutions, it is all 'action research'. Among the sites analysed in these papers are an airline; hospitals for incurables, the elderly, the mentally ill; a diocese; a prison; a diplomatic mission; manufacturing companies and rural sites. Throughout his case studies he addresses issues of dependence, independence and counterdependence. In all of the settings his aim has been to help people to gain greater influence over their environments. In the concluding chapters he lifts his eyes from small groups and society in microcosm to address society as an intelligible field of study. Throughout the book he focuses constantly on values and concepts in action.

Core Competencies of Relational Psychoanalysis

Core Competencies of Relational Psychoanalysis
Author: Roy E. Barsness
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 338
Release: 2017-07-20
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1315437759

Core Competencies of Relational Psychoanalysis provides a concise and clearly presented handbook for those who wish to study, practice, and teach the core competencies of Relational Psychoanalysis, offering primary skills in a straightforward and useable format. Roy E. Barsness offers his own research on technique and grounds these methods with superb contributions from several master clinicians, expanding the seven primary competencies: therapeutic intent, therapeutic stance/attitude; analytic listening/attunement; working within the relational dynamic, the use of patterning and linking; the importance of working through the inevitable enactments and ruptures inherent in the work; and the use of courageous speech through disciplined spontaneity. In addition, this book presents a history of Relational Psychoanalysis, offers a study on the efficacy of Relational Psychoanalysis, proposes a new relational ethic and attends to the the importance of self-care in working within the intensity of such a model. A critique of the model is offered, issues of race and culture and gender and sexuality are addressed, as well as current research on neurobiology and its impact in the development of the model. The reader will find the writings easy to understand and accessible, and immediately applicable within the therapeutic setting. The practical emphasis of this text will also offer non-analytic clinicians a window into the mind of the analyst, while increasing the settings and populations in which this model can be applied and facilitate integration with other therapeutic orientations. Core Competencies of Relational Psychoanalysis is inspired by Barsness’ students; he was motivated to create a primary text that could assist them in understanding the often complex and abstract models of Relational Psychoanalysis. Relevant for graduate students and novice therapists as well as experienced clinicians, supervisors, and professors, this textbook offers a foundational curriculum for the study of Relational Psychoanalysis, presents analytic technique with as clear a frame and purpose as evidenced based models, and serves as a gateway into further study in Relational Psychoanalyses.

Inside Out and Outside In

Inside Out and Outside In
Author: Joan Berzoff
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Total Pages: 514
Release: 2011-07-16
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 144220852X

Over the past decade, Inside Out and Outside In has become a very important book among mental health practitioners in a variety of disciplines that deal with individuals in their complex social environments. Revised and updated throughout, the third edition builds on this foundation and adds a new chapter on cognitive behavioral theory and practice and a new chapter on relational and intersubjective theories to more fully meet the needs of both students and practitioners today. The third edition of Inside Out and Outside In maintains the book's respectful tone and empathetic voice while making many new additions. The chapter on affective disorders now includes bipolar disorders. Two other chapters update content on psychodynamic theory and race and gender. This edition also offers new research on schizophrenia and personality disorders. Other key updates include linking trauma theory with attachment, as well as attending to client systems, including couples, throughout the book. This new edition further deepens our understanding of the bio-psycho-social contexts in which clinical theory and practice occur, particularly in multicultural settings. It offers ways to clearly understand theories and clinical disorders in their biological and social contexts and provides key updates on new developments in the biopsychosocial domain.