Complexity of the Self: A Developmental Approach to Psychopathology and Therapy

In this profound work, Vittorio Guidano expands upon his earlier seminal contributions on the application of cognitive and developmental principles to individuals struggling with various forms of psychopathology. Here, he fully develops the idea that individuals' experiences, both positive and negative, are powerfully influenced by their personal psychological organizations. Guidano illustrates how early developmental experiences and ongoing psychological processes may collude to perpetuate dysfunctional patterns and personal distress. The book contends that the deep structure or core organizing processes that constrain human psychological experience may be at the heart of successful intervention as well as the problems of resistance, relapse, and refractory behaviors. Guidano offers exciting ideas about how to conceptualize and facilitate change in the self system. The volume draws together many disparate themes from object relations theory, ego psychology, attachment theory, constructivist models of human cognition, and lifespan developmental psychology.