David Dean Brockman connects spirituality with psychoanalysis throughout this book as he looks at Dante's early writings, his life story and his "polysemous" classical poem The Divine Comedy. Dante wanted to create a document that would educate the common man about his journey from brokenness to growth and a solid integration of body, self, and soul. This book draws the resemblance between Dante's poem and the "journey" that patients experience in psychoanalytic therapy. It will be the first total treatment of Dante's work in general, and The Divine Comedy in particular, using the...

By focusing on the transition from late adolescence to young adulthood, this innovative book makes a unique and valuable contribution to our understanding of a neglected area of development. Drawing on his extensive clinical experience with this age group as well as his understanding of the complex cultural and social forces that impinge on young people today, Brockman has produced that rarest of volumes: a work that is engaging, creative and wise while at the same time being eminently practical and useful. Addressing issues that are highly relevant to our older patients as well as our...