In this volume, Steffenhagen offers a practical guide to self-esteem therapy. As the author explains at the outset, self-esteem therapy is a uniquely effective therapy which stems from the seminal work of Alfred Adler and incorporates Husserl's phenomenology, George Simmel's social conflict theory, and the dialectic of Karl Marx. It can be used to combat problems resistant to other therapies such as persistent drug abuse. In fact, notes Steffenhagen, the therapy is effective even if the patient's problem cannot be readily identified--by building an individual's self-esteem, the problem itself can be eliminated without ever being directly addressed. Psychologists and counselors who wish to incorporate self-esteem therapy into their own treatment regimens will find Steffenhagen's work an indispensable reference source.

The first two chapters provide the concepts necessary to understand both the foundation of self-esteem therapy and its application in the therapeutic setting. Chapter 3 surveys current psychotherapies and demonstrates that self-esteem therapy provides a simpler, more usable conceptual framework for effective treatment. Steffenhagen also demonstrates that any therapy which is successful helps the client build self-esteem, regardless of the complexity of its conceptual development. A separate chapter provides a detailed discussion of the theory underlying self-esteem therapy while the final chapter presents a number of therapeutic modalities which can be used to build self-esteem. Several appendixes and a bibliography provide additional information for the reader who wishes to pursue further studies in this area.

"The Social Dynamics of Self-Esteem" introduces a unique synthesis of the theoretical views posited by Alfred Adler, Karl Marx, Georg Simmel, and Edmond Husserl in the development of a coherent theory of self-esteem. Grounded in the humanistic tradition of Adler, self-esteem theory redefines the concepts of personality as a function of both psychological and social parameters. The authors identify 18 facets of self-esteem at three levels of ego and develop three self-esteem inventories to measure each ego level. They also advance a new socio-psychological theory of deviance and develop a conflict theory of personality. This text will prove to be an indispensable handbook for professionals in psychology, psychiatry, social work, counselling, and pastoral therapy.