Psychoanalyst's Superegos, Ego Ideals and Blind Spots: The Emotional Development of the Clinician

Psychotherapists and psychoanalysts have a emotional relationship with their patients, but their personalities can limit their ability to recognize and consider what happens in the consulting room. Vic Sedlak explores the fear of a superego and the need to aspire to ego ideals, and how these forces can affect treatments, supervision, and psychoanalytic technique. The book is illustrated with clinical material to help practitioners recognize unconscious forces that can hinder their clinical effectiveness.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 198 pages
Publication date: 13 May 2019
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Psychotherapists and psychoanalysts enter into an emotional relationship with their patients during treatment, regardless of their level of experience. While their expertise can provide valuable insights, their personalities can also shape and limit their ability to fully recognize and contemplate the events that unfold in the consulting room. The book "The Psychoanalysts Superegos, Ego Ideals, and Blind Spots" delves into the nature of these constraints on clinicians' sensitivity. Vic Sedlak explores the fear that clinicians experience, particularly the fear of a superego that could become critical of themselves or their patients, and the pressure they feel to adhere to the standards set by their ego ideals. These dynamic forces are examined in the context of treatments that may fail, supervision, and recent advancements in psychoanalytic technique. The author emphasizes the challenge of addressing hostility, a topic that is richly illustrated with clinical material. By providing practitioners with a deeper understanding of the unconscious forces that may hinder their clinical effectiveness, this book aims to enhance their ability to recognize and navigate these challenges.

Weight: 342g
Dimension: 157 x 233 x 13 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367205089