Hope: A Shield in the Economy of Borderline States

ISBN-13: 9780415121774 / Angielski / Miękka / 1996 / 128 str.

Anna Potamianou; Philip Slotkin

Opis

In the well known myth of Pandora, hope was the last and most needed gift at the bottom of a box of myriad misfortunes let loose on an unsuspecting world. For most human beings hope is a positive benefit. But in this work, Anna Potamianou shows how in the borderline patient it can become an omnipotent means of denying reality. Indeed, in such individuals, any state of mind or feeling can take on the status of an object, which is then used as a barrier against their fear of change. The author gives both clinical and literary examples of how this happens and goes on to discuss the connection between hope and desire for these patients.

Recenzje

"Theoretically interesting and clinically helpful. The author vividly conveys the borderline patient's world of chaos and unthinkable threats." - Journal of the British Association for Psychotherapists

Spis treści

Introduction. Part I: Hope as a Binding Cathexis. As Exemplified in the Pandora Myth. As Exemplified in a Patient's Progress. Part II:  Clinical and Metapsychological Background. On Cathexes. Delimiting Cathexes and Cathexes of Limits. Cathexes and Decathexes in Borderline States. Part III: Hope. Dynamic and Economic Aspects. One Day... It'll All Be Better Tomorrow. Part IV: Hopeful Waiting in Borderline States. Raising of Shields. A Token of Resistance. Safeguarding Masochism. A Cathexis that Becomes an Object. Part V: Even God Needs a Mother. De-formation, De-shaping, Dis-sociation. Tracing A Path. Notes. Selected Bibliography. Index.

O autorze

Anna Potamianou is a Training Analyst of the Paris Psychoanalytic Society and member of the Greek Study Group. She teaches at Pantios University, Greece, and is in private practice.