Advances in science and the humanities have demonstrated the complexity of psychological, social and neurological factors influencing identity. A contemporary discourse is needed to anchor the concepts required in speaking about identity in present day understanding. In Identity and the New Psychoanalytic Explorations of Self-organization, Mardi Horowitz offers new ways of speaking about parts of self, explaining what causes a range of experiences from solidity in grounding the self to disturbances in a sense of identity. The book covers many aspects of both the formation and the deconstruction of identity. Horowitz examines themes including: -The sense of identity -Social learning -Biological learning -Identity and self-esteem - Levels of personality functioning and growth The book clarifies basic questions, defines useful terms, examines typical identity disturbances and presents a biopsychosocial theory which indicates how schemas operate in conscious and unconscious mental processing. The answers to the basic questions lead to improvements in psychotherapy practices as well as teaching and research methods. Identity and the New Psychoanalytic Explorations of Self-organization will prove fascinating reading for those working in the fields of psychoanalysis, psychology, psychiatry, neuroscience and the social disciplines.

Advances in science and the humanities have demonstrated the complexity of psychological, social and neurological factors influencing identity. A contemporary discourse is needed to anchor the concepts required in speaking about identity in present day understanding. In Identity and the New Psychoanalytic Explorations of Self-organization, Mardi Horowitz offers new ways of speaking about parts of self, explaining what causes a range of experiences from solidity in grounding the self to disturbances in a sense of identity. The book covers many aspects of both the formation and the deconstruction of identity. Horowitz examines themes including: -The sense of identity -Social learning -Biological learning -Identity and self-esteem - Levels of personality functioning and growth The book clarifies basic questions, defines useful terms, examines typical identity disturbances and presents a biopsychosocial theory which indicates how schemas operate in conscious and unconscious mental processing. The answers to the basic questions lead to improvements in psychotherapy practices as well as teaching and research methods. Identity and the New Psychoanalytic Explorations of Self-organization will prove fascinating reading for those working in the fields of psychoanalysis, psychology, psychiatry, neuroscience and the social disciplines.

Some will wonder why this book, with its specific focus on the pro cess of change in psychotherapy, was chosen for inclusion in "Crit ical Issues in Psychiatry: A Series for Residents and Clinicians" as our books are generally devoted to a broad topical survey of some im portant clinical area in the practice of psychiatry or a related mental health discipline. The answer will become rapidly apparent to the reader, for Dr. Horowitz has developed an exciting, creative, and practical method whereby any psychotherapist can understand, monitor, conceptualize, and evaluate the process of change in psychotherapy. His method of "configurational analysis" utilizes direct clinical observations of emotional states, role relationships, and information processing to systematically, in a step-by-step fashion, organize and describe clinical data. It can be employed at any point in the therapeutic transaction, from the time of initial presentation to the time of termina tion or follow-up. This method of organizing information about a person, his problems and resources, and the nature of the psychotherapeutic transaction provides the therapist with a powerful tool with which to both understand and communicate how and why change occurs, or does not occur, in psychotherapy. It can be applied all the way from the description of large-scale patterns to the microanalytic dissection and understanding of a small segment of a therapy session."

Written for therapists working with people in distress, this book describes the links between crisis and personality style, and offers a plan for approaching cases with these connections in mind. The authors discuss ways to help patients learn new coping strategies, modify enduring attitudes, and improve their relational patterns. The chapters outline the history of brief dynamic psychotherapy, describe an approach focused on current stressors, apply configurational analysis to case formulation and review, and detail five personality types.

Written for therapists working with people in distress, this book describes the links between crisis and personality style, and offers a plan for approaching cases with these connections in mind. The authors discuss ways to help patients learn new coping strategies, modify enduring attitudes, and improve their relational patterns. The chapters outline the history of brief dynamic psychotherapy, describe an approach focused on current stressors, apply configurational analysis to case formulation and review, and detail five personality types.

A guide that will aid the grieving process, for confidants and helpers to the bereaved, and, for those who grieve such events as deaths of loved ones, divorce, loss of a home, or sudden disability.

A conscious mind is like a movie screen displaying images from two powerful projectors, one from our unconscious and one from the physical world. These images have very social contents: Our identity is based on how we see others and are seen by them, in both real and imagined ways. Knowing more about our unconscious beliefs about self and others enhances our understanding of our motivations - and that helps us make better choices in pursuing our goals and striking necessary compromises. Many people have lapses in self-esteem or experience disturbances in their sense of identity. Uncertainties and contradictions based on erroneous beliefs prevent them from triumphing over their crises, like a double-headed dragon preventing the hero from reaching his goal. Religion, philosophy, psychology, and psychoanalysis all factor into our self-understanding. Recent studies also tell us more about how learning on one's own can solidify skills and increase self-esteem. This book serves as a guide through the theater of the mind, offering insight on the many factors of identity. Consider it a script for how to resolve conflicting identity experiences and consolidate them in harmony The book is divided into three sections. Act I, "Identity," explores how self-attributions lead to a better sense of identity as one matures. By better developing a conscious self within, we can change our goals, add to our attitudes, re-prioritize our personal values, and transform our plans for how to enhance our capacities. Act II, "Relationships," focuses on gaining constancy and continuity in loving, caring relationships. People reflect back to us who we are, and our attachments to some of them stabilize our essential identity. To clarify ourselves, we can look into our minds for models of our relationships. Act III, "Processing Emotional Meanings," centers on mastering emotions and controlling undesirable reactions. Changing our ideas about who we are means changing the beliefs in which selfhood is embedded. This section helps you understand how to amplify and use self-observations, and even how to access the sometimes nonconscious potential for emotional experiences that you both fear and desire.

"Wise counsel from one of America's most respected psychiatrists." -Irvin Yalom, author of "Staring at the Sun" and "When Nietzsche Wept," Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, Stanford University
For many, getting in touch with that elusive thing called "happiness" is rarely simple-and achieving any kind of lasting happiness can feel like an insurA-mountable challenge. Perhaps what we need is an education on the subject . . . "A Course in Happiness." In this book, Mardi Horowitz draws on more than forty years of experience as a practicing psychiatrist to provide readers with just this.
According to Dr. Horowitz, happiness is essentially a by-product of self-knowledge; in order to be happy, we need to understand who we truly are. In "A Course in Happiness," he details a deeply rewarding course in mastering the three levels of self-understanding that underlie happiness:
Integration: the ability to assemble all the pieces of one's self into a whole, complete, understood, and respected "me."
Intimacy: the capacity to remain closely connected to the warmth of relationships with family, friends, colleagues, and others in a social community.
Integrity: the insight to know which of one's values are most dear and which are lower in priority-and then to be true to what is the most important, even in the midst of conflict.
"A Course in Happiness" offers a road map for achieving genuine and lasting contentment.