1. The Case of John Alter: To Catch a Thief (or Two)
2. The Case of Kool: The Psychoanalysis of a Transvestite
3. The Case of Bert: A Case of Infidelity
4. The Case of Jane: A Young Woman in Passionate Pursuit
5. The Case of Peter Stone: A Case of Compulsive Masturbation
6. The Case of Alice: Perverse Indiscretions of an Inhibited Young Woman
7. The Case of Rashid: Purloined Letters - The Case of a Man Who Stole Books
8. The Case of Alexander: Variations on the Vertical Split - Psychotherapy of a Delinquent
Biography
Goldberg, Arnold I.
"This collection of cases is a striking example of psychoanalytic research conducted by a group of analysts sharing their work with one another. The cases are not only intriguing and exciting; they are cases rarely seen and even more rarely understood by psychoanalysts. To study the courageously acknowledged foibles and mistakes of our colleagues is both instructive and humbling."
- Jerome A. Winer, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, University of Illinois, Chicago
"The major problem confronting psychoanalysis today is the paucity of detailed case presentations, the essential data of our scientific enterprise. The psychoanalysts who, under the leadership of Arnold Goldberg, have contributed to Errant Selves have grasped the nettle and provided us with detailed accounts of the treatment of eight patients with 'misbehavior' disorders. Although their technical approach derives from their commitment to a particular theory, self psychology, their freshly insightful and admirably candid accounts of these treatments provides a model that analysts of all persuasions should emulate. The audience for this book is as broad as the field of psychoanalysis itself."
- Arnold D. Richards, M.D., Editor, JAPA
"Errant Selves is a fascinating, innovative, and courageous book. Eight clinicians openly and thoughtfully recount their work with patients whose aberrant behavior most often evoked disdain and condemnation both in the clinicians and in the patients themselves. The book thoughtfully explores the meaning and adaptive use of these misbehaviors and the reciprocal struggles around disavowal stimulated in many of the analysts. The powerful effect of these difficult patients on the clinicians who treated them is beautifully conveyed. The cases are vividly written and a pleasure to read. The book is a major contribution to the psychoanalytic understanding and treatment of a group of patients who many have found too difficult to treat."
- Judy Kantrowitz, Ph.D., Training and Supervising Analyst, Boston Psychoanalytic Institute
