Explains object relationships theory, describes the four stages of therapy, and discusses the personal side of psychotherapy

"Glickauf-Hughes and Wells present a clear and well-organized review of personality development according to object relations theorists. They offer an explanation and critique of each major theorist, note issues on which there is disagreement (along with areas of investigation not fully explored), and present implications for treatment. Concepts are well defined, and one gets the sense of a cohesive body of knowledge (possibly more cohesive than it actually is). Those unfamiliar with object-relations theory will have a good outline; those who know enough to be confused will find some clarification." —Journal of Psychotherapy Practice and Research

Object Relations Brief Therapy combines practical techniques with the depth of object relations theory, the wisdom of previous brief therapy writers, and, most notably, an emphasis on the unique therapeutic relationship. This new paperback edition includes a preface reviewing more recent developments in the area of brief therapy.

Offers an indepth and thoughtful exploration of the relevance of psychoanalysis to family therapy.

What does it mean to be human? Object relations, the British- based development of classic Freudian psychoanalytic theory, is based on the belief that the human being is essentially social; the need for relationship is central to the definition of the self. Object relations theory forms the base of psychoanalysts' work, including Melanie Klein, D. W. Winnicott, W. R. D. Fairbairn, Michael Balint, H.J.S. Guntrip, and John Bowlby. Lavinia Gomez here provides an introduction to the main theories and applications of object relations. Through its detailed focus on internal and interpersonal unconscious processes, object relations can help psychotherapists, counselors and others in social service professions to understand and work with people who may otherwise seem irrational, unpredictable and baffling.

This book is exciting, original, and above all accessible–a rare combination for a text which deals in depth with psychoanalytical theory. Non-analysts are frequently both baffled and alienated by the jargon and the complexity of works which extend psychoanalytical thinking, but Ogden is revealed in this book as an outstanding communicator as well as a major theoretician. The book's subtitle is a guide to the main focus of the work, which reinterprets the work of Melanie Klein, with its focus on phantasy, in relation to the biological determinants of perception and the meaning and organization of experience in the interpersonal setting of human growth and development. Ogden re-interprets Klein to illuminate Freudian instinct theory, using the contributions of Bion, Fairbairn, and particularly Winnicott–British object relations theorists–to clarify and extend aspects of their work and to move towards an impressive exposition of the way in which the human mind develops." –Pamela M. Ashurst, The British Journal of Psychiatry A Jason Aronson Book

In Psychoanalytic Object Relations Therapy, Althea Horner explores the clinical implications of developmental object relations theory. She considers the importance of finding the interpersonal metaphor embedded in the patient's material, the various kinds of interventions made by the therapist, and the multiple ways the patient uses the therapist, such as a selfobject, a container, and an object for identification. Eight case presentations demonstrate Horner's theoretical contributions.