The Dynamics of Development and the Therapeutic Process

The Dynamics of Development and the Therapeutic Process by Laskey, Richard. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780876685655.

This remarkable book is a description of a dynamic understanding of development and of how analytic therapy works. It is a thorough examination of the psychoanalytic model of the mind and clinical technique, integrating theory and practice. In this book, Dr. Lasky covers the psychoanalytic model of mental functioning, including developmental, object relational, and conflict theories. He provides an examination of the rationale beyond the psychoanalytic clinical method and, in a series of case studies, shows the reader how an analysis is actually conducted. He gives illustrations of both classical analytic techniques and the modifications of technique that are often necessary in treating character-disordered patients. Lasky shows the rich complexity of mental, functioning and the subtle complexities of Freudian clinical theory, and technique. Simplified approaches are quite appealing to some experienced analysts as well as to many beginning analytic candidates, and simplified approaches become even more attractive as Freudian psychoanalysis threatens to increase, not decrease, in complexity with each passing year. However, an appreciation of the true complexity of things is an enhancement rather than a burden to the analyst at work. Lasky argues that some of our most brilliant conceptualizers are impossibly difficult to read. Often some of our best material is inaccessible to all but the most dedicated and persistent reader. This book conveys the complexity of the Freudian model in a clear and readily understandable manner.