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Self-examination in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy: Countertransference and Subjectivity in Clinical Practice
by William F. CornellSelf-examination in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy provides open and intimate accounts of the experience of being in psychotherapy. The internal life of the therapist is as much at the heart of the stories told as those of the clients. William F. Cornell here writes in a more personal and literary voice, avoiding as much as possible, the dense theoretical language that often typifies analytic writing. Central to the thesis elaborated in this book is that of how the therapist’s own personal history and unconscious motivations can deepen or distort the therapist’s understanding of the client. One chapter is devoted to the frank discussion of the author’s work with a client that was not only unhelpful but in fact harmful. Cornell emphasizes the capacity to call one’s self into question as a fundamental outcome of psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. Attention is paid to the conscious and unconscious forces that create profound dynamic tensions between the enlivening desire for a fuller life and the defenses that deaden one’s capacity to think and to engage more fully in one’s life and relationships. The dynamics of transgenerational transmission of grief, loss, and trauma are also examined closely. The psychotherapist as person and professional, rather than the clients, is at the heart of this book. Self-examination in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy will appeal to all psychoanalysts and psychoanalytic psychotherapists who will find an exceptionally open discussion of the challenges, learning, and meanings of being a psychotherapist.
Self-help Messiah
by Steven WattsAn illuminating biography of the man who taught Americans "how to win friends and influence people" Before Stephen Covey, Oprah Winfrey, and Malcolm Gladwell there was Dale Carnegie. His book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, became a best seller worldwide, and Life magazine named him one of "the most important Americans of the twentieth century." This is the first full-scale biography of this influential figure. Dale Carnegie was born in rural Missouri, his father a poor farmer, his mother a successful preacher. To make ends meet he tried his hand at various sales jobs, and his failure to convince his customers to buy what he had to offer eventually became the fuel behind his future glory. Carnegie quickly figured out that something was amiss in American education and in the ways businesspeople related to each other. What he discovered was as simple as it was profound: Understanding people's needs and desires is paramount in any successful enterprise. Carnegie conceived his book to help people learn to relate to one another and enrich their lives through effective communication. His success was extraordinary, so hungry was 1920s America for a little psychological insight that was easy to apply to everyday affairs. Self-help Messiah tells the story of Carnegie's personal journey and how it gave rise to the movement of self-help and personal reinvention.
Self-help for Trauma Therapists: A Practitioner's Guide
by Margaret PackFor those offering trauma-informed care, it can be difficult to maintain wellbeing and a balanced, positive outlook when the nature of their job requires frequent engagement with traumatic disclosures. Self-help for Trauma Therapists: A Practitioner’s Guide intends to assist human service workers- such as those working as therapists, social workers and counsellors- to maintain their self- care and professional effectiveness when working in fields where stress and trauma play a key factor in their everyday working lives. Adopting a comprehensive, multi-layered approach to self-care based, the book grounds its exploration of practice through researched accounts with experience professionals. Including accounts from clinical psychologists, therapists, counsellors, social workers and the friends and family of people in these professions, this book creates a narrative on stress and trauma from the human service worker perspective. Interwoven with these stories of practice, the author includes reflections on her own experiences in practice over the past 25 years with trauma survivors. With discussions on risk and resilience, compassion fatigue and vicarious traumatisation, readers are introduced to the theories and practical applications of developing a professional model for maintaining wellbeing and self-care in their work. Self-help for Trauma Therapists: A Practitioner’s Guide is the first book of its kind to be written solely for human service workers. It is essential reading for beginning and more advanced practitioners who are involved in working with trauma and recovery and will also be of interest to supporters of those working in the helping professions.
Self-in-Relationship Psychotherapy in Action: Individual, Couple, Family and Child Psychotherapy
by Micheline Boivin Augustine MeierThis book presents a comprehensive guide to applying Meier and Boivin's Self-in-Relationship Psychotherapy model to clinical work with individuals, couples, families and children.The central theme of the book is that the paradigm of affects, cognitive processes and behaviors that informs current psychotherapy approaches needs to be broadened to include core self, relational and physical intimacy needs as motivating factors in psychotherapy. Drawing on multiple influences including relational psychoanalysis, the authors illustrate how to work with core needs when providing therapy to children and adults. They establish that core needs are universal, and their realizations are essential for healthy living and argue that clients achieve the healthiest outcomes by finding a way to balance the self alongside their relations with others. The concept of core self, relational and physical intimacy needs is what binds all the chapters in this book and makes it unique among psychotherapy approaches.With a clear transtheoretical approach and rich clinical vignettes, this book is core reading for any psychotherapists, psychoanalyst, or practicing psychologists.
Self-in-Relationship Psychotherapy: A Complete Clinical Guide to Theory and Practice
by Micheline Boivin Augustine MeierIn this innovative book, the authors set out their theory of Self-in-Relationship Psychotherapy (SIRP), advocating for the integration of relational, self, and physical intimacy needs in the conceptualization and treatment of psychological problems, placing human needs at the center of treatment. This marks a shift in how psychological and relational problems are understood, currently being perceived in terms of affects, cognitive processes and behaviors. Using numerous illustrations from their own clinical practice, Meier and Boivin contend that this understanding overlooks the pivotal role that needs play in all aspects of peoples’ personal lives and relationships. Children, adolescents, and adults do not live primarily from feelings and thoughts, but from basic psychological and relational, needs such as wanting to be in a meaningful relationship, having the autonomy and freedom to make decisions about their lives, experiencing being competent, being regarded as a significant and important person, and experiencing emotional, intimate, and sensual and/or sexual connections. By taking such an approach this book stands out among other books on psychotherapy theories. Authored by two seasoned psychologists who have provided therapeutic services to children, adolescents, and adults for 40 years, this book comprises the foundational theory for practicing Self-in-Relationship Psychotherapy, making it of interest to graduate students, clinicians in training, and practicing psychologists, social workers, and psychotherapists alike.
Self-neglect: A Practical Approach to Risks and Strengths Assessment (Critical Skills for Social Work)
by Shona Britten Karen WhitbySelf-neglect covers a wide range of behaviours, from neglecting to care for one's personal hygiene and health to one's surroundings; this can include behaviours such as hoarding of objects and/or animals. As presentation of self-neglect cases vary greatly, assessment and support planning should be made on an individualised case by case basis.Self-neglect describes a Risks and Strengths assessment model which has been developed by practitioners as an aid to frontline workers across all sectors, as well as agencies holding responsibilities in Safeguarding Adults. It aims to support and structure the effective, timely and consistent assessment of risk in relation to key social and healthcare factors of self-neglect both on an individual case level and at a strategic level in contributing to community/locality needs analysis and reporting mechanisms; including annual Safeguarding Adults Board Reports.
Self-regulated Learning and Second Language Writing: Fostering strategic language learners (English Language Education #26)
by Lin Sophie TengThis monograph is to investigate practical applications and contributions of self-regulated learning (SRL) to second/foreign language (L2) writing from sociocognitive and sociocultural perspectives. It showcases a comprehensive and updated review of conceptual and methodological issues of SRL and the state-of-the-art research on its applications to L2 learning and teaching. This volume further elaborates the design and results of a large-scale project which conducts observational and intervention studies investigating SRL strategies in L2 writing. This book reveals that a cross-disciplinary understanding of SRL strategies plays a crucial role in advancing theoretical functions of SRL and in extending its applications to L2 education in general, and L2 writing in particular. This book makes significant contributions to developing and validating new conceptual frameworks and tools for evaluating multidimensional structures of SRL strategies and self-efficacy in L2 writing; elucidating the interplay of personal, behavioral, environmental and psychological factors with SRL strategies and writing performance; and presenting an effective self-regulation instructional model for nurturing L2 learners’ motivation and confidence to strategize, reflect and succeed in writing.Teng has established herself as one of the prominent scholars in the discussion of self-regulated learning strategies. Her contribution to the fields of L2 writing and strategic learning are undeniable. This monograph is an excellent showing of how her endeavors to bring established theories from educational psychology to applied writing research have progressed over a number of methodologically rigorous studies. It should be required reading for anyone with an interest in cultivating strategic writers not only in the Chinese context but worldwide. Nathan Thomas, UCL Institute of Education
Self-related Cognitions in Anxiety and Motivation
by Ralf SchwarzerResearch on anxiety and motivation has witnessed substantial progress in recent years in developing innovative perspectives and applying advanced psychometric tools. The most important contributions were made by cognitively oriented psychologists who have related the information processing view to anxiety and motivation. The organized knowledge about oneself and the storage, processing and retrieval of information concerned with one's attitude and behavior strongly influences the way people think, feel and act. Therefore, self-referent thoughts play a major role as a cognitive component in anxiety and motivation. It is the idea of this book to integrate different lines of thinking in the field of anxiety and motivation by relating both topics to self-focussed attention, self-concept and self-evaluation in achievement contexts as well as in social contexts.
Self-restoration of People Living with HIV/AIDS in China
by Rongting HouThis book adopts an approach based on relational psychoanalysis, developed in the USA in and since the 1990s and guided by the self-psychology championed by Kohut and the Post-Kohutians. How people infected with HIV/AIDS live their lives is a growing concern in China. The book, based on relational psychoanalysis, explores their self-restoration, and more specifically, how adopting an attitude of “dying to live” helps them face tremendous challenges in life. By interviewing selected individuals at a given organization, the author focuses on their life experiences and on corresponding interventional mechanisms. The book’s three most important features are as follows: 1) its application of self-psychology by Heinz Kohut into the context of psychological intervention; 2) a wealth of qualitative data gathered through in-depth interviews; and 3) the author’s self-reflection and analysis. The book offers a valuable guide for graduate students, researchers, and policymakers alike.By interviewing selected individuals at a given organization, the book focuses on the life histories of selected individuals after being diagnosed with AIDS (screening HIV positive) and on corresponding interventional mechanisms. Further, itemploys the self and self-object as key explanatory terms for the necessary psychotherapeutic interventions,and in order to create guidelines that sufficiently reflect the illness and corresponding interventions. Given its scope and focus, the book offers a valuable guide for graduate students, researchers, and policymakers alike.
Self-talk in Sport (Routledge Psychology of Sport, Exercise and Physical Activity)
by Alexander T. Latinjak Antonis HatzigeorgiadisAthletes are naturally exposed to significant psychological challenges in sports, but do not wait helplessly for the assistance of sports psychologists or trainers. Instead, they practise one form or another of self-regulation. Self-talk in Sport explores one such self-regulatory strategy: self-talk, the inner voice that accompanies every human being throughout their lives. Over time, research has revealed many secrets of self-talk in sport, though many others remain unveiled. This book offers you the opportunity to discover the multiple identities of our self-talk, how the “inner coach” serves as a rational counterpart to the irrational self, and what we need to do to develop our inner voice to reach its maximum self-regulatory potential. There is a general need for concrete interventions in sport, exercise, and performance psychology. In addition, the autonomous functioning of people is a central aim of psychological interventions that align with positive psychology and focus on people’s strengths rather than weaknesses. In this volume, researchers and applied practitioners are shown how they can use self-talk interventions to strengthen people’s rational self-regulation in order to deal with a variety of situations that apply to both sport and other exercise and performance contexts. Since self-talk is a tangible result of cognitive processes and inner experiences that researchers and applied practitioners can barely access, Self-talk in Sport is a tool for sports psychologists to understand and interact with hidden parts within athletes that have a major impact on sport and exercise experiences and performance. A book demonstrating the diverse – both rational and irrational identities – of self-talk, as well as specific interventions to change the inner dialogue of athletes, is a fundamental piece in the education of sport scientists.
Self-theories: Their Role in Motivation, Personality, and Development (Essays in Social Psychology)
by Carol S. DweckThis innovative text sheds light on how people work -- why they sometimes function well and, at other times, behave in ways that are self-defeating or destructive. The author presents her groundbreaking research on adaptive and maladaptive cognitive-motivational patterns and shows:* How these patterns originate in people's self-theories* Their consequences for the person -- for achievement, social relationships, and emotional well-being* Their consequences for society, from issues of human potential to stereotyping and intergroup relations* The experiences that create them This outstanding text is a must-read for researchers in social psychology, child development, and education, and is appropriate for both graduate and senior undergraduate students in these areas.
Selfhood: Identity, Esteem, Regulation (Social Psychology Ser.)
by Mark R. Leary Michael H. Kernis Rick Hoyle Mark W. BaldwinThis text provides an integrative survey of the burgeoning social-psychological literature on the self. By way of an introduction, the authors establish the intellectual climate that gave rise to contemporary perspectives on the self and integrate early and more recent research on the structure of the self. The core of the text surveys the literatu
Selfie: How We Became So Self-Obsessed and What It's Doing to Us
by Will Storr“An intriguing odyssey” though the history of the self and the rise of narcissism (The New York Times).Self-absorption, perfectionism, personal branding—it wasn’t always like this, but it’s always been a part of us. Why is the urge to look at ourselves so powerful? Is there any way to break its spell—especially since it doesn’t necessarily make us better or happier people? Full of unexpected connections among history, psychology, economics, neuroscience, and more, Selfie is a “terrific” book that makes sense of who we have become (NPR’s On Point). Award-winning journalist Will Storr takes us from ancient Greece, through the Christian Middle Ages, to the self-esteem evangelists of 1980s California, the rise of the “selfie generation,” and the era of hyper-individualism in which we live now, telling the epic tale of the person we all know so intimately—because it’s us.“It’s easy to look at Instagram and selfie-sticks and shake our heads at millennial narcissism. But Will Storr takes a longer view. He ignores the easy targets and instead tells the amazing 2,500-year story of how we’ve come to think about our selves. A top-notch journalist, historian, essayist, and sleuth, Storr has written an essential book for understanding, and coping with, the 21st century.” —Nathan Hill, New York Times-bestselling author of The Nix“This fascinating psychological and social history . . . reveals how biology and culture conspire to keep us striving for perfection, and the devastating toll that can take.”—The Washington Post “Ably synthesizes centuries of attitudes and beliefs about selfhood, from Aristotle, John Calvin, and Freud to Sartre, Ayn Rand, and Steve Jobs.” —USA Today“Eminently suitable for readers of both Yuval Noah Harari and Daniel Kahneman, Selfie also has shades of Jon Ronson in its subversive humor and investigative spirit.” —Bookseller“Storr is an electrifying analyst of Internet culture.” —Financial Times“Continually delivers rich insights . . . captivating.” —Kirkus Reviews
Selfless: A Psychologist's Journey Through Identity And Social Class
by Geoffrey BeattieSelfless is a memoir, reflecting on identity, social class, mobility, education, and on psychology itself; how psychology as a discipline is conducted, how it prioritises objects of study, how it uncovers psychological truths about the world. Geoffrey Beattie takes the reader on a journey through his early life in working-class Belfast, his Ph.D. at Trinity College Cambridge and subsequent academic and professional career, to explore fundamental issues within psychology about social class and social identity. Beattie discusses the difficulties inherent in this process of education and change, and how social background affects how you view academic work and the subject matter of one’s discipline. This book movingly details a life and how it is changed by the processes of education, the psychological pressures when abandoning those close to you, the dissonance within and how it feels and operates. The book takes a critical look at psychology from the other side, and examines the process of becoming ‘selfless’, meaning having little sense of self rather than being overly concerned with the wishes and needs of others. Showing how our early experiences and their influence continues throughout life, Beattie’s emotionally engaging, entertaining, and witty text offers general readers, students, and academics fresh insights into psychology, adaptation and personal change.
Selfless: The Social Creation of “You”
by Brian LowerySocial psychologist and Stanford professor Brian Lowery presents a provocative, powerful theory of identity, arguing that there is no essential "self"—our selves are social creations of those with whom we interact —exploring what that means for who we can be and who we allow others to be. There’s nothing we spend more time with, but understand less, than ourselves. You’ve been with yourself every waking moment of your life. But who—or, rather, what—are you? In Selfless, Brian Lowery argues for the radical idea that the “self” as we know it—that “voice in your head”—is a social construct, created in our relationships and social interactions. We are unique because our individual pattern of relationships is unique. We change because our relationships change. Your self isn’t just you, it’s all around you.Lowery uses this research-driven perspective of selfhood to explore questions of inequity, race, gender, politics, and power structures, transforming our perceptions of how the world is and how it could be. His theory offers insight into how powerful people manage their environment in sophisticated, often unconscious, ways to maintain the status quo; explains our competing drives for deep social connection and personal freedom; and answers profound, personal questions such as: Why has my sense of self evolved over time? Why do I sometimes stop short of changes that I want to make in life? In Selfless, Lowery persuasively breaks down common assumptions and beliefs; his insights are humbling. Despite what many may think, we aren’t islands unto ourselves; we are the creation of the many hands that touch us. We don’t just exist in communities, we are created and shaped by them. Our highs and lows are not only our own but belong to others as well. By recognizing that we are products of relationships—from fleeting transactions to deep associations—we shatter the myth of individualism and free ourselves to make our lives and the world accordingly.
SelfAcceptance: How to banish the self-esteem myth, accept yourself unconditionally and revolutionise your mental health
by Harry BarryIn an age where self-esteem is seen as essential to mental health, we are seeing unprecedented rises in mental health difficulties from depression anxiety, eating disorders and many others. Is there not a dichotomy at play here? Is Self - Esteem (ie 'I live for my rating') a reality at all or simply a myth we are all buying into. In this book bestselling author Harry Barry challenges the conventional wisdom and explores why the terms self-acceptance, self-respect and self-actualization are more helpful in developing positive mental health. In his trademark style he also provides practical examples of what we should all be doing instead to build confidence and reach our full potential.Part 1: The myth of self-esteemPart 2: Debunking the myth of 'low self-esteem'Part 3: Debunking the myth of 'high self-esteem'Part 4: Debunking the myth 'others can dictate my self-esteem'
Self–Acceptance: How to banish the self-esteem myth, accept yourself unconditionally and revolutionise your mental health
by Dr Harry BarryHow to look after your mental wellbeing in times of stressIn an age where self-esteem is seen as essential to mental health, we are seeing unprecedented rises in mental health difficulties from depression anxiety, eating disorders and many others. Is there not a dichotomy at play here? Is Self - Esteem (ie 'I live for my rating') a reality at all or simply a myth we are all buying into. In this book bestselling author Harry Barry challenges the conventional wisdom and explores why the terms self-acceptance, self-respect and self-actualization are more helpful in developing positive mental health. In his trademark style he also provides practical examples of what we should all be doing instead to build confidence and reach our full potential.Part 1: The myth of self-esteemPart 2: Debunking the myth of 'low self-esteem'Part 3: Debunking the myth of 'high self-esteem'Part 4: Debunking the myth 'others can dictate my self-esteem'
Sell More with Science: The Mindsets, Traits and Behaviours That Create Sales Success
by David HoffeldThe groundbreaking system scientifically proven to increase your performance and launch you to unprecedented levels of success.In sales, you need every advantage you can get. In SELL MORE WITH SCIENCE, world-leading expert, David Hoffeld, applies science to selling, sharing his revolutionary three-part system for sure-fire sales success at home, at work, and out in the world.SELL MORE WITH SCIENCE utilizes research studies from social psychology, neuroscience and behavioral economics to reveal actionable insights you can use to grow your sales, achieve more, and stay ahead of the competition. You'll discover: - Two evidence-based mindsets that will help you earn more sales - Seven strategies that will boost your chances of reaching any goal - Powerful principles that will enhance your ability to guide potential clients into positive buying decisions - Ways to win day-to-day interactions - in business and beyond - How to reframe any idea or situation - What it means to sell with integrity - A science-backed formula you can follow to create positive career change - And much more Filled with practical insights and exercises, SELL MORE WITH SCIENCE is a game-changing guide for anyone who wants to take their influence, sales, or career to new heights.
Sell More with Science: The Mindsets, Traits and Behaviours That Create Sales Success
by David HoffeldThe groundbreaking system scientifically proven to increase your performance and launch you to unprecedented levels of success.In sales, you need every advantage you can get. In SELL MORE WITH SCIENCE, world-leading expert, David Hoffeld, applies science to selling, sharing his revolutionary three-part system for sure-fire sales success at home, at work, and out in the world.SELL MORE WITH SCIENCE utilizes research studies from social psychology, neuroscience and behavioral economics to reveal actionable insights you can use to grow your sales, achieve more, and stay ahead of the competition. You'll discover: - Two evidence-based mindsets that will help you earn more sales - Seven strategies that will boost your chances of reaching any goal - Powerful principles that will enhance your ability to guide potential clients into positive buying decisions - Ways to win day-to-day interactions - in business and beyond - How to reframe any idea or situation - What it means to sell with integrity - A science-backed formula you can follow to create positive career change - And much more Filled with practical insights and exercises, SELL MORE WITH SCIENCE is a game-changing guide for anyone who wants to take their influence, sales, or career to new heights.(P) 2022 Penguin Audio
Sell More with Science: The Mindsets, Traits, and Behaviors That Create Sales Success
by David HoffeldThe groundbreaking system scientifically proven to increase your performance and launch you to unprecedented levels of success.Today, in sales, business, and life, you need every advantage you can get. In Sell More with Science, David Hoffeld, the world&’s leading expert on applying science to selling, shares his revolutionary three-part system to experience surefire success at home, at work, and out in the world. Here, Hoffeld utilizes research studies from social psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral economics to reveal actionable insights you can use to grow your sales, achieve more, and stay ahead of the competition. You&’ll discover: • two evidence-based mindsets that will help you earn more sales • seven strategies that will boost your chances of reaching any goal • powerful principles that will enhance your ability to guide potential clients into positive buying decisions • ways to win day-to-day interactions—in business and beyond • how to reframe any idea or situation • what it means to sell with integrity • a science-backed formula you can follow to create positive career change • and much more Filled with practical insights and exercises, Sell More with Science is a game-changing guide for anyone who wants to take their influence, sales, or career to new heights.
Selling Immunity Self, Culture and Economy in Healthcare and Medicine (Critical Approaches to Health)
by Mark DavisSelling Immunity: Self, Culture and Economy in Healthcare and Medicine provides a groundbreaking study of the ways in which immunity shapes life. Through its up-to-date discussion of immunity cultures, alongside detailed real-world examples, the book demonstrates how immunity is enmeshed in concepts of possessive individualism, self-defence and health consumerism. The book explores the rich metaphorical powers of immunity and the life narratives it inspires with reference to the talk of scientists, immunology texts and popular science magazines. The author provides a detailed overview of the ways in which digital media can shape the immune self with reference to cultural and social theories, providing insight into how immunitary knowledge and products are consumed and the benefits and drawbacks this has for healthcare. The book considers the significance of immunity for individuals navigating the threats to health that arise with pandemics and superbugs, with a keen look into how these ideas surface in everyday life across the globe. Finally, the book also discusses economic bases of healthcare technologies bent towards the protection and restoration of immunity. This book is essential reading for professionals within the fields of psychology, sociology, biomedical science, healthcare and other related disciplines. A broader audience will appreciate the book’s attention on the ways immunity is understood to be a personal possession, an object of life craft, and the basis for healthcare consumerism.
Selling Out the Spectrum: How Science Lost the Trust of Autistic People, and How It Can Win It Back
by Liam O'DellWhen trust breaks down, how do we begin to fix it?Set against the controversial history of genetic research into autism, from the Spectrum 10k study led by Professor Simon Baron-Cohen to the legacy of the Andrew Wakefield MMR scandal, this book explores the ways in which autistic people have been let down by science and what needs to be done to build more effective partnerships in the future.Written by leading autistic journalist Liam O'Dell, Selling Out the Spectrum takes a thorough, balanced deep-dive into the issues surrounding the relationship between science and the autistic community, can explores how past damage can be effectively and meaningfully repaired.
Selves as Solutions to Social Inequalities: Why Engaging the Full Complexity of Social Identities is Critical to Addressing Disparities (Elements in Applied Social Psychology)
by Tiffany N. Brannon Peter H. Fisher Abigail J. GreydanusSocial disparities tied to social group membership(s) are prevalent and persistent within mainstream institutions (e.g., schools/workplaces). Accordingly, psychological science has harnessed selves - which are malleable and meaningfully shaped by social group membership(s) - as solutions to inequality. We propose and review evidence that theoretical and applied impacts of leveraging 'selves as solutions' can be furthered through the use of a stigma and strengths framework. Specifically, this framework conceptualizes selves in their fuller complexity, allowing the same social group membership to be associated with stigma, risk, and devaluation as well as strengths, resilience, and pride. We provide evidence that by enacting policies and practices that (a) reduce/minimize stigma and (b) recognize/include strengths, mainstream institutions can more fully mitigate social disparities tied to inclusion, achievement and well-being. Using social groups that vary in status/power we examine implications of this framework including the potential to foster positive, recursive, and intergroup impacts on social inequalities.
Selves in Relation: An Introduction to Psychotherapy and Groups (Routledge Library Editions: Group Therapy)
by Keith OatleyEmotional crises and breakdowns are not things going wrong in individuals’ minds: they are disturbances in their relations with themselves and others. In psychotherapy an attempt is made to resolve such crises through a therapeutic relationship with an individual or in a group. First published in 1984, this book introduces the theory of individual and group therapy, and explains some of its principles in practice. Although there had been a rapid development of ideas in the area of psychotherapy at the time, it was only shortly before the original publication of this book that these had been related to theory. Keith Oatley assesses the influence of cognitive social psychology, psychoanalysis and the existential/phenomenological tradition, and considers the role of emotions, thinking and social interactions in therapeutic transformation. The theory, he argues, must also be related to the research findings on the outcomes of different therapies. This book is for those who study psychotherapy in psychology, psychiatry, counselling and social work – and for anyone who wants to know what psychotherapy was about in the 1980s.
Selving: A Relational Theory of Self Organization
by Irene FastIn Selving: A Relational Theory of Self Organization, Irene Fast invokes the basic distinction between the self as "me" and the self as "I" in order to develop a contemporary theory of the self as subject. In a return to Freud's clinical finding that all psychological processes are personally motivated, she elaborates a notion of the "I-self" that is intrinsically dynamic and relational. Within this conception, our perceiving, thinking, feeling, and acting are not what our self does; rather, they are what our self is. According to Fast, the basic unit of the dynamic I-self --of selving --is a scheme of personally motivated interaction between self and nonself. This notion, which comprehends development (and developmental failure) as a product of integration and differentiation among discrete I-schemes, provides a radically new framework for understanding those dynamic phenomena that Freud included within his structural model of the mind and that contemporary theorists have addressed within object relational perspectives. Via the notion of selving, Fast likewise brings fresh insight to a host of issues that have engaged psychoanalysts and developmental psychologists in recent years. These topics include the place of bodily experience in a relational model of mind, the organization of self as simultaneously individual and relational, the formulation of a constructivist model of psychic structure, among others. Selving is not only a lucid demonstration of how a relational theory of self can reorder clinical observations in conceptually and therapeutically illuminating ways. It is also a convincing demonstration of how a constructivist model emphasizing the interactive nature of meaning-making provides bridges to Piagetian theory, developmental research, and observational infancy studies.