Human Goodness

Salman Akhtar, MD, is professor of psychiatry at Jefferson Medical College and training and supervising analyst at the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia.

• ContentsAcknowledgmentsChapter 1Human Goodness: An Introductory OverviewSalman Akhtar, MD Chapter 2Do Psychoanalysts Know What’s Good for Them? If So, Why Are They Always Arguing about It? If Not, How Do They (And We) Know What’s Good for Us?Elio Frattaroli, MDChapter 3On Human Goodness: Origins and LimitationsLawrence Blum, MDChapter 4A Therapist’s Maternal AltruismBeth Seelig,MDChapter 5The Altruistic Omnipotent Mother: A Dangerous MythAnn Smolen, PhDChapter 6Kindness, Altruism and Forgiveness: Three Facets of Healthy Human RelatednessShahrzad Siassi, PhDChapter 7Some Unconscious Variables at Play in Human GoodnessJodi Brown, MDChapter 8In Favor of Good and Bad Objects: A Concluding CommentaryAndrew Smolar, MDReferencesIndexAbout the Editors and Contributors

Salman Akhtar has once again brought us to a new frontier—a scholarly and engaging exploration of the complexity of human goodness. His opening chapter is a gem. In these troubled times, when evil abounds, this book is an important guidepost not only for psychoanalysts, but for all who wish to find the goodness that exists even in the hearts of our enemies.