Containing Rage, Terror and Despair: An Object Relations Approach to Psychotherapy (The Library of Object Relations) - Softcover

Seinfeld, Jeffrey

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0765702983 ISBN 13: 9780765702982

Publisher: Jason Aronson, Inc., 1996

Synopsis

This work offers a contemporary object relations perspective on working with a wide range of psychological difficulties, from the neurotic to the psychotic, including addictions and personality disorders. The first chapter presents a concise overview of recent developments in object relations theory. Subsequent chapters use detailed clinical examples to examine each psychological difficulty and the appropriate therapeutic approach. The impact of early trauma on personality and psychotherapy is also extensively discussed.

About this title

From the Back Cover

Containing Rage, Terror, and Despair presents Jeffrey Seinfeld's object relations approach to treating various common and debilitating mental disorders. Clinicians are often perplexed and discouraged at seeing their patients suffer even more intensely as they face the defenses, conflicts, and deficits that have impeded their growth and development. Often at the center of this increased suffering is an intense fear of giving up internalized bad objects. When there has been a lack of good enough supportive relationships throughout life, this letting go of bad objects threatens the patient with an unraveling of his or her core psychic structure.The process of internalizing the therapist as a good object is a long and arduous one, during which these patients test to the limit the therapist's capacity for survival and concern. Dr. Seinfeld describes the specific internalized object relations configurations of schizophrenic, schizoid, borderline, depressive, substance abusing, and traumatized patients. Using abundant clinical material, he offers individualized interventions that address each disorder, describing how the therapist can contain the patient's rage, despair, and terror that are evoked as the patient begins to face and release his or her dreaded inner demons.

About the Author

Jeffrey Seinfeld, Ph.D., is professor at New York University School of Social Work and private consultant to the Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services.

About this edition

• Publisher: Jason Aronson, Inc.
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0765702983
• ISBN 13: 9780765702982
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240