Inside Out and Outside In: Psychodynamic Clinical Theory and Practice in Contemporary Multicultural Contexts

Inside Out and Outside In: Psychodynamic Clinical Theory and Practice in Contemporary Multicultural Contexts by Flanagan, Laura Melano. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9781568217772.

This book updates psychodynamic approaches by adding the essential biological and social perspectives that they often lack. We know that everyone is born with innate, highly individual inner characteristics, some of which are biologically based. These traits-a quickness to anger, an easy smile, a way of being calm or fidgety, a lively curiosity, a tendency to melancholy-are not easily visible, yet they play a crucial role in shaping the course of a persons life. We also know that each of us is born into an outer world with great specifications of its own: time, place, class, race, family, community, country, ethnic group, religion, political-economic climate. An African-American baby, a Korean-American baby, and a Swedish-American baby born on the same day in the same hospital will each be strengthened or assaulted by very different outside forces The authors of this book show how to find value in understanding peoples pain and resilience in the context of their internal dynamic struggles, biological make-up, and social realities. They demonstrate how to use this knowledge to create a language of meaning for peoples difficulties, and most important, a road to their healing. Inside Out and Outside In provides a guide for understanding and working with the complex inner and outer forces that make up peoples lives. A Jason Aronson Book