Pattern of Madness

Neville Symington is a member of the British and Australian Psychoanalytical Societies. His books include 'Narcissism: A New Theory', 'The Making of a Psychotherapist', 'A Pattern of Madness' and 'Becoming a Person Through Psychoanalysis' (all published by Karnac Books); 'The Analytic Experience', and 'The Clinical Thinking of Wilfred Bion' (written with Joan Symington). He has a private psychoanalytic practice in New South Wales, Australia.

• Preface , Introduction , The Pattern of Sanity , Ontology , Freedom , The person , Narcissism and the struggle for survival , Emotional action , The internalizing act , Roy Schafer’s action language , The Pattern of Madness , The jelly , God , Acts of God , The quality of attachment , The worm , Perversions , Trauma , Psychiatric diseases , Psychoanalytic schema of narcissism derived from psychiatry , The Subjective Experience , Human dilemmas , Guilt , Generation of perception and belief , Self-knowledge versus self-consciousness , Technique , Reverse perspective , Principles of action

'A bold and fascinating discourse on the inner structure of madness. Symington's analysis of the polarity between narcissism and emotional freedom is highly original, and the clinical vignettes are lucid and striking.'- Anne Alvarez, PhD. Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist, Tavistock Clinic