Object relations theories, both British and American, have achieved
increasing prominence in recent years as the limitations of the
classical psychoanalytic model have become more apparent. Despite
the plethora of books written from an object relations perspective,
there has to date been no textbook describing and comparing the
various theories with a focus on their clinical applications.
Object Relations Theories and Psychopathology: A Comprehensive Text
brilliantly fills this gap in the literature. Frank Summers
provides thorough, lucid, and critically informed accounts of the
work of each of the major object relations theorists: Fairbairn,
Guntrip, Melanie Klein, Winnicott, Kernberg, and Kohut. His
expositions achieve distinction on two counts. First, the work of
each object relations theorist is presented as a comprehensive
whole, with separate sections of each chapter expounding the
theorist's ideas and assumptions about metapsychology, development,
psychopathology, and treatment. Summers concludes each account with
a critical evaluation of the strengths and limitations of the
theory in question. Second, the emphasis in each chapter is on
issues of clinical understanding and technique. Making extensive
use of case material provided by each of the theorists, he shows
how each object relations theory yields specific clinical
approaches to a variety of syndromes, and how these approaches, in
turn, entail specific modifications in clinical technique. Beyond
his detailed attention to the theoretical and technical differences
among object relations theories, Summers offers two concluding
chapters that highlight the broad commonalities that link all
object relations theories and set themapart from other contemporary
approaches. His penultimate chapter discusses the similarities and
differences of object relations and interpersonal theories. And his
concluding chapter outlines a pragmatic object relations approach
to development, psychopathology, and technique that combines
elements of all object relations theories without opting for any
single theory. Object Relations Theories and Psychopathology is
that rare event in psychoanalytic publishing: a substantive,
readable text that surveys a broad expanse of the theoretical and
clinical landscape with erudition, sympathy, and critical
perspective. It will be essential reading for all analysts,
psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers who wish to
familiarize themselves with object relations theories in general,
sharpen their understanding of the work of specific object
relations theorists, or enhance their ability to employ these
theories in their clinical work.
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