| Abstract: | Reviews the book, Psychotherapy of the disorders of the self: The Masterson approach, edited by James F. Masterson and Ralph Klein (see record 1988-98808-000). The senior editor of this text reminds us that the DSM-IIIR is an insufficient guide to appropriate diagnosis of personality disorders. As Masterson indicates, it is highly questionable that the borderline disorders can be distilled to a single "borderline personality disorder" rather than a range of conditions emerging from separation-individuation developmental crises and maternal libidinal unavailability. Masterson assists us in integrating borderline conditions by enabling an understanding of the defenses against abandonment depression that manifest in these patients. Klein, in turn, adds an invaluable dimension to differential diagnosis in his reminder that a diagnostic picture is incomplete when it fails to integrate the current ego functions and impairments and the nuances of the family, along with their developmental and medical history. This volume is well suited not only for the seasoned clinician who has experienced the full impact of character pathology in clinical practice but also for the student whose understanding of personality disorders is often restricted to the limited role provided by our current diagnostic manual. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
