Guilt

Origins, Manifestations, and Management

Salman Akhtar

• Publisher: Jason Aronson, Inc.
• Year: 2012
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9780765709004
• Topic: Psychology
• Subtopic: Emotions in Psychology
• Index: Psychology

In this elegantly written book, eight distinguished psychoanalysts address the ubiquitous phenomenon of guilt. They describe the childhood experiences that form the bedrock of this emotion and delineate various types of guilt, including pre-oedipal guilt, oedipal guilt, survivor guilt, separation guilt, induced guilt, and so on. Noting that guilt, by itself, is neither 'good' nor 'bad,' these master clinicians highlight the adverse (e.g. self-punishment, masochism, irritability) and potentially positive (e.g. reparation, helpfulness towards others) outcomes of guilt. They critically assess previously published findings, review diverse theories, and offer illustrative material from treatment of children and adults. As a result, Guilt: Origins, Manifestations, and Management is replete with clinical pearls and highly useful tips for the management of patients driven by feelings of guilt and remorse.

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Acknowledgments
• Guilt: An Introductory Overview
• Pinocchio’s Journey to a ‘Good Heart’: Guilt, Reparation, and Transformation
• Conscience and The Uncanny in Psychoanalysis and in Pinocchio
• Bearable and Unbearable Guilt: A Kleinian Perspective
• Guilt: Some Theoretical and Technical Considerations
• Guilt in the Therapist and Its Impact Upon Treatment
• Reflections on the Absence of Morality in Psychoanalytic Theory and Practice
• Guilt and Its Vicissitudes: A Concluding Commentary
• References
• Index
• About the Editor and Contributors