Psychoanalytic Perspectives on Conflict

Christopher Christian, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor at the New School for Social Research, Director at the New School Beth Israel Center for Clinical Training and Research, member of IPTAR and Faculty at the Institute for Psychoanalytic Education, NYU Medical Center. He is co- editor of The Second Century of Psychoanalysis: Evolving Perspectives on Therapeutic Action and is on the editorial board of the Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association and Psychoanalytic Psychology. Morris N. Eagle, Ph.D. is Distinguished Educator-in Residence at California Lutheran University and is in part-time private practice. He is the author of From Classical to Contemporary Psychoanalysis: A Critique and Integration and many journal articles. Morris is former President of the Division of Psychoanalysis of the American Psychological Association and recipient of the Sigourney Award, 2009. David L. Wolitzky, Ph.D. is a faculty member in the Department of Psychology, New York University, where he held the position of Director of Clinical Training for the Ph.D. Program in Clinical Psychology. He is a graduate of the New York Psychoanalytic Institute and is a Supervisor in the New York University Postdoctoral Program in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy. David is the Editor of the Psychological Issues book series.

• About the authors Acknowledgements Introduction 1. Inner Conflict in Freudian Theory 2. The Evolution of Modern Conflict Theory 3. The Fate of Conflict and the Impoverishment of Our Clinical Methods 4. Conflict from the Perspective of Free Association 5. Inner Conflict in Fairbairn’s Theory of Endopyschic Structure 6. Kleinian and Post-Kleinian Perspectives on Conflict 7. Analytic Trust, Transference and the Importance of Conflict 8. Emergence of Conflict During the Development of Self: A Relational Self Psychology Perspective 9.The Phenomenological Contextualism of Conflict: An Intersubjective Perspective 10. Conflict and Change: Producer, Trigger, Sign, Outcome 11. The Dialectic of Desire: a view of intrapsychic conflict in the work of Jacques Lacan 12. Forces at Play in Psychical Conflict 13. On Conflict in Attachment Theory and Research 14. Addressing Defenses against Painful Emotions: Modern Conflict Theory in Psychotherapeutic Approaches with Children 15. Implicit Attitudes, Unconscious Fantasy, and Conflict 16. Neural Basis of Intrapsychic and Unconscious Conflict and Repetition Compulsion References

"In this major contribution to the field, the editors have taken the fundamental psychoanalytic premise of conflict as a central organizing construct for purposes of comparing and contrasting a broad array of psychoanalytic perspectives on personality development, psychopathology and therapeutic action. Their approach provides a kaleidoscopic perspective that illuminates both intriguing connections and subtle difference among diverse psychoanalytic approaches. Bringing together outstanding contributions from some of the leading figures in the field, the editors have produced a superb volume that is essential reading for anyone interested in the future of psychoanalysis." - Jeremy D. Safran, Ph.D., Chair & Professor of Psychology, The New School for Social Research"Psychoanalytic approaches differ in the way they deal with conflict-- with some believing that conflict can be resolved and others rejecting such a prospect. Indeed, no psychoanalytic approach fails to conceptualize conflict, and one can reasonably conclude that conflict is fundamental to a psychoanalytic way of thinking about human beings and about treatment. Yet, it is surprising to realize that conflict has not been the subject of more focus and reflection. Until now, Christian, Eagle and Wolitzky have done an extraordinary service to the field by collecting essays from different psychoanalytic orientations-- Contemporary Freudian, Object Relations, Self Psychology, Relational, Lacanian and Attachment-- written by some of the most original thinkers in the field. Treatment issues are central, but the book also covers neurobiological and developmental issues as well. For psychoanalysts who long for dialogue across psychoanalytic orientations, this book is exemplary, and deserves a wide audience." - Elliot Jurist, Professor of Psychology and Philosophy, the Graduate Center and the City College of New York, the City University of New York, and Editor of Psychoanalytic Psychology