Since its inception, and throughout its history, psychoanalysis has been defined as a psychology of conflict. Freud's tripartite structure of id, ego and superego, and then modern conflict theory, placed conflict at the center of mental life and its understanding at the heart of therapeutic action. As psychoanalysis has developed into the various schools of thought, the understanding of the importance of mental conflict has broadened and changed.
In Psychoanalytic Perspectives on Conflict, a highly distinguished group of authors outline the main contemporary theoretical understandings of the role of conflict in psychoanalysis, and what this can teach us for everyday psychoanalytic practice. The book fills a gap in psychoanalytic thinking as to the essence of conflict and therapeutic action, at a time when many theorists are re-conceptualizing conflict in relation to aspects of mental life as an essential component across theories.
Psychoanalytic Perspectives on Conflict will be of interest to psychologists, psychoanalysts, social workers, and other students and professionals involved in the study and practice of psychoanalysis, psychotherapy, cognitive science and neuroscience.
About the Author: Christopher Christian, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor at the New School for Social Research, Director at the New School Beth Israel Center for Clinical Training and Research, member of IPTAR and Faculty at the Institute for Psychoanalytic Education, NYU Medical Center. He is co- editor of The Second Century of Psychoanalysis: Evolving Perspectives on Therapeutic Action and is on the editorial board of the Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association and Psychoanalytic Psychology.
Morris N. Eagle, Ph.D. is Distinguished Educator-in Residence at California Lutheran University and is in part-time private practice. He is the author of From Classical to Contemporary Psychoanalysis: A Critique and Integration and many journal articles. Morris is former President of the Division of Psychoanalysis of the American Psychological Association and recipient of the Sigourney Award, 2009.
David L. Wolitzky, Ph.D. is a faculty member in the Department of Psychology, New York University, where he held the position of Director of Clinical Training for the Ph.D. Program in Clinical Psychology. He is a graduate of the New York Psychoanalytic Institute and is a Supervisor in the New York University Postdoctoral Program in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy. David is the Editor of the Psychological Issues book series.
