Contexts And Connections: An Intersubjective Approach To Couples Therapy (Basic Behavioral Science Books)

Author: David ShaddockPublisher: Basic BooksHardcover:ISBN 10: 0465095704ISBN 13: 978-0465095704Shaddock makes sense of intersubjectivity, the functional paradigm shift in highbrow psychotherapy, as both a way of thinking about our psychological lives and a way of doing clinical work. Applying it to relational systems means investigating the experience of each partner/ member from inside his/her perspective and without judgment.The book illustrates how that approach lowers defenses and lets in insights, mutual understanding, and renewed hope; it demonstrates that treatment built on empathic awareness of contexts and connections can actually also lead to individual transformation. Review "Building on the conceptual scaffold erected in his masterful and now classic Neurotic Styles, David Shapiro ventures into new territory to further refine his architectonic views on psychopathology, this time encompassing psychotic conditions (mainly schizophrenia) as well. His emphasis on formal, structural commonalties and contrasts across the spectrum of psychopathology (along such dimensions as degree of volitional self-regulation) allows for a much needed, comprehensive, psychological understanding of the varieties of emotional and mental disorders we confront in our daily practice. Without in any way diminishing the role of biology as a predisposing factor, Dynamics of Character offers a refreshing antidote to the extreme 'medicalization' of psychopathology. And as one has come to expect from Dr.Shapiro, it is well written, logically and persuasively argued, and a joy for the clinician to read." -- Leo Goldberger, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, New York University"In this brilliant book Shapiro deepens his previous investigations of neurotic character and extends them into the realm of the psychoses. This is vintage David Shapiro, with all of the trademark features that have made his previous books contemporary classics. The writing is direct, precise and eloquent. His observations of human nature are as keen and nuanced as ever, and his understanding of the fundamental dimensions underlying diverse character structures has, if anything, become more insightful. Through his rigorous and meticulous exploration of the various styles through which different "ways of being" all function to diminish the experience of personal responsibility, Shapiro provides us with a powerful and compelling understanding of human character that is essential reading for all students of psychopathology and the psychotherapeutic process." -- Jeremy D. Safran, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, New School for Social Research"Shapiro plumbs the depths of human personality not by tracing it to presumed infantile origins but by a persistent, insightful focus on the consequences of character, on the ways in which the bed we lie in is indeed the bed we have made. Character, Shapiro shows, creates dynamics that make the perpetuation of that character style almost inevitable, and the therapist who dares to challenge that inevitability must understand the self-perpetuating processes that Shapiro parses with consummate skill and subtlety. Undaunted by dogma, Shapiro brings our attention to the actual experience of the people we aim to understand, and in so doing continues his lifelong project of redefining the very nature of what we mean by 'dynamics' in the realm of personality." -- Paul L. Wachtel, Ph.D., CUNY Distinguished Professor, City College of New York From the Publisher Also by David Shapiro: Neurotic Styles "A significant contribution to an understanding of dynamic psychiatry and ego psychology." --The American Journal of Psychiatry Autonomy and Rigid Character "A brilliant continuation of his classic Neurotic Styles [that] moves the frontiers of psychoanalytic and psychodynamic thinking forward.... It is packed with clinical wisdom [and] profound implications for a theory of pathology." --Philip S. Holzman, Ph.D. Psychotherapy of Neurotic Character "When Dr. Shapiro writes a book, we all should pay close heed." --Journal of Psychotherapy Practice and Research "A profound book, simply written. The obscure processes of therapy, particularly the minute pivotal points of personality change, are illuminated with clarity, precision, and elegance." --Allen Wheelis, M.D. "This long-awaited volume richly fulfills its promise. Few writers on the psychotherapy scene have as interesting, or important, things to say." --Paul L. Wachtel, Ph.D. "Ultimately, the best endorsement of Shapiro's book is how helpful it is. I found myself regularly applying its insights in sessions before I finished reading it." --Frank Yeomans, M.D. About the Author David Shaddock, author of From Impasse to Intimacy: How Understanding Unconscious Needs Can Transform Relationships, practices psychotherapy in Oakland, California.