Guilt: Origins, Manifestations, and Management

by Salman Akhtar (Editor), Salman Akhtar (Contribution by), William M., M.D. Singletary M.D. (Contribution by), Elaine Zickler (Contribution by), Desy Safan-Gerard (Contribution by), Robert Kravis (Contribution by), Stanley J. Coen (Contribution by), Elio Frattaroli (Contribution by), Jeanne Bailey (Contribution by)

Overview

In this elegantly written book, eight distinguished psychoanalysts address the ubiquitous phenomenon of guilt. They describe the childhood experiences that form the bedrock of this emotion and delineate various types of guilt, including pre-oedipal guilt, oedipal guilt, survivor guilt, separation guilt, induced guilt, and so on. Noting that guilt, by itself, is neither ‘good’ nor ‘bad,’ these master clinicians highlight the adverse (e.g. self-punishment, masochism, irritability) and potentially positive (e.g. reparation, helpfulness towards others) outcomes of guilt. They critically assess previously published findings, review diverse theories, and offer illustrative material from treatment of children and adults. As a result, Guilt: Origins, Manifestations, and Management is replete with clinical pearls and highly useful tips for the management of patients driven by feelings of guilt and remorse.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780765708991
Publisher:	Aronson, Jason Inc.
Publication date:	12/22/2012
Series:	Margaret S. Mahler Series
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Salman Akhtar, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Jefferson Medical College; Training and Supervising Analyst, Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA.

Jeanne Bailey, PhD, Training and Supervising Analyst, Minnesota Psychoanalytic Society, Minneapolis, MN.

Stanley J. Coen, MD, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, College of Physicians, Surgeons, Columbia University; Training and Supervising Analyst, Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research, New York, NY.

Elio Frattaroli, MD, Faculty Member, Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia; private practice of psychotherapy and psychoanalysis, Bala Cynwyd, PA.

Robert Kravis, PsyD, Faculty Member, Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia; private practice of adult and child psychotherapy and psychoanalysis, Philadelphia, PA.

Desy Safán-Gerard, PhD, Training and Supervising Analyst, Psychoanalytic Center of California, Los Angeles, CA.

William R. Singletary, MD, President, Margaret S. Mahler Psychiatric Research Foundation; Faculty, Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia; private practice of adult and child psychotherapy and psychoanalysis, Ardmore, PA.

Elaine Zickler, PhD, Faculty Member, Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia; private practice of psychotherapy and psychoanalysis, Philadelphia, PA.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: Guilt: An Introductory Overview
Salman Akhtar, MD
Chapter 2: Pinocchio's Journey to a ‘Good Heart’: Guilt, Reparation, and Transformation
William Singletary, MD
Chapter 3: Conscience and ‘The Uncanny’ in Psychoanalysis and in Pinocchio
Elaine Zickler, PhD
Chapter 4: Bearable and Unbearable Guilt: A Kleinian Perspective
Desy Safán-Gerard, PhD
Chapter 5: Guilt: Some Theoretical and Technical Considerations
Robert Kravis, PsyD
Chapter 6: Guilt in the Therapist and its Impact upon Treatment
Stanley Coen, MD
Chapter 7: Reflections on the Absence of Morality in Psychoanalytic Theory and Practice
Elio Frattaroli, MD
Chapter 8: Guilt and Its Vicissitudes: a Concluding Commentary
Jeanne Bailey, PhD
References
Index
Editors and Contributors

What People are Saying About This

Beth Seelig

This is a valuable book on a topic of central importance to the work of all psychoanalysts and psychotherapists. It delves deeply into guilt and its related affects in the people we work with and in ourselves. Rich in clinical material, it consists of multiple views from within the intense and complex psychoanalytic work conducted by an impressive group of theoretically diverse experts in the field. It is a privilege to be invited to share their thinking, and even more compelling, their feelings. This volume is further enhanced by the editor’s masterful introductory chapter that defines, compares, and contrasts the related affects of guilt, shame, and remorse, and by the final chapter, which provides the reader with a concise overview and summary.

Melvin R. Lansky

This volume is a unique and comprehensive collection of writings on guilt, giving the reader important and clinically relevant insights into guilt not simply as an affect accompanying actual or wished – for transgressions, but as a moral regulator and compass. It will be of great use to psychotherapists at all levels of training and experience.

Editorial Reviews

This volume is a unique and comprehensive collection of writings on guilt, giving the reader important and clinically relevant insights into guilt not simply as an affect accompanying actual or wished – for transgressions, but as a moral regulator and compass. It will be of great use to psychotherapists at all levels of training and experience.

Melvin R. Lansky

This is a valuable book on a topic of central importance to the work of all psychoanalysts and psychotherapists. It delves deeply into guilt and its related affects in the people we work with and in ourselves. Rich in clinical material, it consists of multiple views from within the intense and complex psychoanalytic work conducted by an impressive group of theoretically diverse experts in the field. It is a privilege to be invited to share their thinking, and even more compelling, their feelings. This volume is further enhanced by the editor’s masterful introductory chapter that defines, compares, and contrasts the related affects of guilt, shame, and remorse, and by the final chapter, which provides the reader with a concise overview and summary.

Beth Seelig

This is a valuable book on a topic of central importance to the work of all psychoanalysts and psychotherapists. It delves deeply into guilt and its related affects in the people we work with and in ourselves. Rich in clinical material, it consists of multiple views from within the intense and complex psychoanalytic work conducted by an impressive group of theoretically diverse experts in the field. It is a privilege to be invited to share their thinking, and even more compelling, their feelings. This volume is further enhanced by the editor’s masterful introductory chapter that defines, compares, and contrasts the related affects of guilt, shame, and remorse, and by the final chapter, which provides the reader with a concise overview and summary.

Beth Seelig M.D.