Postmodern Self Psychology, the last volume of the Progress in Self Psychology series under the editorship of Arnold Goldberg, charts the path of self psychology into the postmodern era of psychoanalysis. It begins with Goldberg's thoughtful consideration of the several tributaries of self-psychological thought in the decades after Kohut and continues with Mark Gehrie's elaboration of "reflective realism" as a self-psychological way out of epistemological quagmires about the "essential reality" of the analytic endeavor. Clinical contributions offer contemporary perspectives on clinical themes that engaged Kohut in the 1970s: a study of the effect of "moments of meeting" on systems of pathological accomodation; a reappraisal of empathy as a "bi-directional negation"; and an assessment of the diverse clinical phenomena that justify a prolonged "understanding only" phase of treatment. The theory section of Volume 18 comparably charts the movement of self psychology toward a postmodern sensibility. Contributors reappraise intersubjectivity theory as a contextualist treatment approach consistent with dynamic systems theory; return to Kohut's concept of selfobject relationships, with special attention to the separate subjective and intersubjective components of selfobject experiences; and develop one of Kohut's early ideas into a theory of "forward edge" transferences that strengthen normal self-development. In all, Volume 18 is a richly insightful progress report on the current status of self psychology and a fitting capstone to Arnold Goldberg's distinguished tenure as editor of the Progress in Self Psychology series. Contents: Goldberg, Self Psychology Since Kohut. Gehrie, Heinz Kohut Memorial Lecture: Reflective Relativism and Kohut's Self Psychology. Part I: Clinical. Taerk, Shattering the Template: The Effect of Moments of Meeting on Enduring Systems of Pathological Accomodation. Preston, Shumsky, From an Empathic Stance to an Empathic Dance: Empathy as a Bidirectional Negotiation. Mermelstein, Kohut's Understanding and Explaining Steps: Clinical Considerations Influencing the Need for a Prolonged Understanding-Only Phase. Jenkins, The Interpretive Process with a Phobic Young Woman. Kriegman, Interpreting and Negotiating Conflicts of Interest in the Analytic Relationship: A Discussion of Salee Jenkins's Clinical Case. Tolpin, The Role of Empathy and Interpretation in the Therapeutic Process: A Discussion of Salee Jenkins's Clinical Case. Part II: Theory. Trop, Burke, & Trop, Thinking Dynamically in Psychoanalytic Theory and Practice: A Review of Intersubjectivity Theory. Tonnesvang, Selfobject and Selfsubject Relationships. Tolpin, Doing Psychoanalysis of Normal Development: Forward Edge Transferences. Part III: Applied. Holliman, Religious Experience as Selfobject Experience. Brickman, Self and Other in the Self-Psychological Approach to Religion: A Discussion of Pamela Holliman's "Religious Experience as Selfobject Experience." Schulz,, The Iconic 1960s English Film Darling: Portrait of the Contemporary Empty Self. About the Editor:
Arnold Goldberg, M.D., is the Cynthia Oudejan Harris, M.D. Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Rush Medical College in Chicago, and Training and Supervising Analyst, Institute for Psychoanalysis, Chicago. He is the author of a number of books, including Being of Two Minds: The Vertical Split in Psychoanalysis (TAP, 1999) and Errant Selves: A Casebook of Misbehavior (TAP, 2000). |
