The development of the capacities of the healthy real self is described along with the impairments in these capacities that ensue in the Disorders of the Self. A diagnostic system based on the Disorders of the Self is presented, its conceptual basis is explained, and it is compared with DSM IV. A central triadic psychodynamic theme of these disorders, i.e., self-activation leads to depression which leads to defense, is described.
Human problems can be seen as "games without end; " that is, as recurring behaviors based on the continuous application of rigid rules, but devoid of rules for the change of these rules. What are such "meta-rules" and how can they be introduced?
The client's task is to try to be open to his/her inner experiencing, disclosing it to the therapist. A client discovers difficulties in doing so, thus disclosing the resistances which are isomorphic with the client's difficulties in life more generally. The therapist's task is to teach and monitor this process.
Epicurus, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche are forefathers of contemporary psychotherapy. Freud was aware of these wellsprings of modern therapy, and Jung brings them specifically into his writing and his methods. We not only get hints from these forefathers, but we also find a lasting base in them, such as Bubar's "l-thou" construct or Kierkegaard's emphasis on the ultimate relationship of the self to life. These ideas are assumed in Freud, Jung, Adler, Rank, Fromm and other leading therapists in our day. It is these latter therapists who have given us the web of ideas which underlie contemporary psychotherapy.
Human experience and human action center in and derive from human subjectivity. Our preoccupation with objectivity results displaces identity from inner living to external. Life-changing psychotherapy requires centered awareness and self-direction. Three therapeutic elements are prime: Full presence, major commitment, and exploring client's self-and-world constructs.
The evaluation is the single most important clinical task of therapists who work with sexual problems. That is because accurate assessment is the key to successful treatment, and many unnecessary therapy failures can be traced to inadequate evaluation procedures and to the failure of the therapist to elicit pertinent information. Traditional psychological and psychiatric examinations, which emphasize the childhood roots of sexual problems are not adequate for evaluating sexual disorders. Dr. Kaplan will demonstrate her method of evaluation, which focuses on the patient's or couple's current sexual behavior and experience. This, together with historic information, provides the information required for understanding the dynamics of the dysfunction and for formulating a rational treatment plan.
The concept of the Self has come to imply a consistent cluster of characteristics which are often given fixed and universal attributes, such as the narcissistic self, topdog and underdog, false and true self, etc. This paper will expand the concept to include the versatility and unique aliveness of the individual's many selves and show how these selves help people make sense of their lives. Special attention will be given to broadening the concepts of introjections, transference, and gestalt formation, showing how these may be instrumental in harmonizing alienated selves.
Topical Panel 10 from the Evolution of Psychotherapy 1990 - Therapeutic Uses of Humor
Featuring Arnold Lazarus, PhD; Miriam Polster, PhD; Carl Whitaker, MD; Cloe Madanes, Lic Psychol.
Moderated by Michael Yapko, PhD.
Topical Panel 11 from the Evolution of Psychotherapy 1990 - Transference / Countertransference
Featuring Alexander Lowen, MD; James Masterson, MD; Rollo May, PhD; and Erving Polster, PhD.
Moderated by Ruth McClendon, MSW.
Educational Objectives:
To learn the technique of behavioral data-gathering
To understand how data is analyzed to reveal case dynamics and pointers to treatment