1st Edition

Psychoanalytic Theory, Research, and Clinical Practice Reading Joseph D. Lichtenberg

Edited By Linda Gunsberg, Sandra Hershberg Copyright 2016
    342 Pages 10 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    342 Pages 10 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Psychoanalytic Theory, Research and Clinical Practice: Reading Joseph D. Lichtenberg explores both Lichtenberg’s psychoanalytic theoretical contributions and innovations in clinical technique, and how these have influenced the work of other psychoanalysts and researchers. Lichtenberg’s approach integrates a developmental perspective on the life cycle, self-psychology, attachment theory, and his theory of motivational systems.

    The commentaries in this volume are divided into several sections. Section One is devoted to informal interviews with Lichtenberg that portray an account of the evolution of psychoanalysis through Lichtenberg’s eyes interwoven with the development of his own psychoanalytic identity. Section Two celebrates the role of friendship within his psychoanalytic circle, and Section Three highlights his leadership role in the development of creative structures: the journal Psychoanalytic Inquiry; The Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis (ICP&P) and its training programs; and the ongoing Creativity Seminar. Additional sections provide commentary by psychoanalysts and researchers which demonstrate Lichtenberg’s theoretical and clinical impact on his colleagues.

    Psychoanalytic Theory, Research and Clinical Practice provides an in-depth encounter with a major contributor to the psychoanalytic field. Engagement with the openness, flexibility, and inquiring spirit of Joseph D. Lichtenberg offers respect for and hope in the psychoanalytic process. This book is essential reading for psychoanalysts, mental health professionals, and graduate students interested in how theory, research and technique are creatively integrated by a renowned psychoanalytic clinician and teacher.

    Dedication to Charlotte. Acknowledgements. Prologue. Up Close and Personal: The Evolution of a Creative Psychoanalyst. Friendship. The Development of Creative Structures. Creativity Seminar. Development of the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. The Development of a Psychoanalytic Training Program. Supervision. Professional, Artistic, and Familial Partnerships. Motivational Systems Theory. Developmental Theory. Attachment Research and Implications for Treatment. Clinical Papers. What Last and What Fades. Epilogue.

    Biography

    Linda Gunsberg, Ph.D. is a psychoanalyst and forensic expert. She chairs the Family Law and Family Forensics Training Program at Washington Square Institute (NYC) and co-chairs the Psychoanalysis and Law Discussion Group of the American Psychoanalytic Association. Gunsberg is a Consulting Editor for Psychoanalytic Inquiry and has co-edited Fathers and Their Families and A Handbook of Divorce and Custody.

    Sandra G. Hershberg, M.D. is a psychoanalyst and adult and child psychiatrist. She is the Director of Psychoanalytic Training, Founding Member and Training and Supervising Analyst at the Institute of Contemporary Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis in Washington, D.C. She is a Training and Supervising Analyst at the Washington Center for Psychoanalysis. Hershberg also serves as  Associate Editor of the International Journal of Psychoanalytic Self Psychology and is a Consulting Editor for Psychoanalytic Inquiry.

    This is a wonderful book. Not only is it a richly deserved tribute to Joe Lichtenberg, who has made such seminal contributions to psychoanalysis, but it is a volume that contains some of the most original and penetrating essays on motivational systems, infant development and theories of therapy that have appeared for some time.  This is a book that will enrich therapists everywhere. - Theodore Jacobs, M.D.

    ‘This is a work of deep love and appreciation – truly a celebration the author/editors, Drs. Linda Gunsberg and Sandra G. Hershberg, convey of the life and work of Dr. Joseph D. Lichtenberg, their teacher, colleague, and friend. This extraordinary book is not generated simply by their admiration for Lichtenberg’s ideas, but by the fullness of his generativity and of all that he has offered to so many - the story of a man deeply regarded and respected. One does not have to know Dr. Lichtenberg personally to become immersed in this book - as a powerful story unfolds - told by him, his colleagues, his guide in his art collection, his friends.  

    It is a moving story too of his history within the ever-growing field of psychoanalysis itself - and personally - with grandparents, parents, his children, colleagues, teachers, friends, and his late beloved wife, Charlotte, for whom this treasure of a book is dedicated. The editors are to be congratulated; the reader is in for a treat.’ - Evelyne Albrecht Schwaber, M.D. Training and Supervising Analyst, Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute Member, Psychoanalytic Institute of New England, East Visiting Faculty, Pittsburgh Psychoanalytic Center

    "If you want to know what makes a remarkable psychoanalyst, particularly this one, or see what others have to say about him and his work, turn to [this] book... What makes this book unusual is the breadth of the look it gives us into the life and thinking of an important member of our profession. We learn much about how he became the energetic and generous man the contributors to this volume describe. Rarely do we see such a detailed account of how an analyst becomes who he is, and what is important to him... All in all, Gunsberg and Hershberg have given us an engaging and informative read and an example of an open, inquisitive mind constantly asking questions and searching for answers." - Sue Mitchell, Psychoanalytic Review