Ego Psychology II Psychoanalytic Developmental Psychology

In "Ego Psychology II," Gertrude and Rubin Blanck elaborate upon ego psychological theory, extending and broadening it into a psychoanalytic developmental psychology. They present the unifying proposal, derived from Freud's concept of an overall ego (the "Gesamt Ich"), that the ego is the organizing process itself. Out of this basic proposition, a holistic conception of psychological development evolves.Within the developmental framework established in "Ego Psychology II" symptom constellation is shown to be unreliable as a guide to diagnosis. A diagram of development is presented to convey that overall development rather than symptomatology provides guidelines for secure diagnosis and suggests how treatment is to be carried out. Treatment, in the form of ego-building techniques, evolves from recognition that developmental inadequacies cause pathological formations that become malformations in the structure. "Ego Psychology II" is valuable for psychotherapists, psychologists, psychoanalystsand social,workers: the authors' extensive case-study material illustrates the theroy and technique of developmental psychology in vivid form. The authors show also how psychoanalytic developmental psychology updates drive theory, sheds new light on transference, redefines resistance and defense in the poorly structured personalities, clarifies the pathology of the borderline conditions of narcissism, and suggests reconsideration of the manner in which many neurotic formations are attained.Blanck, Gertrude is the author of 'Ego Psychology II Psychoanalytic Developmental Psychology' with ISBN 9780231044707 and ISBN 0231044704.