Dissociation and the Dynamics of Personality addresses the nature of personality in trauma-dissociation and proposes a dynamic understanding of persons that fundamentally challenges conventional views of the self and consciousness.This important book provides a clear and coherent understanding of how childhood trauma can lead to a range of dissociative responses, addressing the fundamental issues underlying the controversy in this field. By recognising causal complexity an...

Metapsychology and the Foundations of Psychoanalysis redresses faults in Freud’s original conception to develop a coherent theoretical basis for psychodynamic theory. Simon Boag demonstrates that Freud’s much maligned ‘metapsychology’, once revised, can provide a foundation for evaluating and integrating the plethora of psychodynamic perspectives, by developing a philosophically-informed position that addresses the embodied, interconnected relationship between motivation, cognitio...

Possibly no other psychoanalytic concept has caused as much ongoing controversy, and attracted so much criticism, as that of 'repression'. Repression involves denying knowledge to oneself about the content of one's own mind and is most commonly implicated in disputes concerning the possibility of repressed memories of trauma (and their subsequent recovery). While fundamental in Freudian psychoanalysis, recent developments in psychoanalytic thinking (e.g., 'mentalization') have downplayed t...

How can you feel gratitude in your life?Where can you find the courage to let the past go and fully appreciate the present moment?Do you need to reset and energize your attitude 
so you can feel more thankful?Quite often, lack of gratitude is the thing that holds us back the most. Perhaps you lived a tragedy, things don’t seem to be going your way, or your relationship ended. You might have lost your career and are now sitting on the verge of bankruptcy, or even lost ...

Of the topics found in psychoanalytic theory it is Freud's philosophy of mind that is at once the most contentious and enduring. Psychoanalytic theory makes bold claims about the significance of unconscious mental processes and the wish-fulfilling activity of the mind, citing their importance for understanding the nature of dreams and explaining both normal and pathological behaviour. However, since Freud's initial work, both modern psychology and philosophy have had much to say about the ...

The perennial interest in psychoanalysis shows no signs of abating and the longevity of psychoanalytic theory is seen in the varied extensions and elaborations of Freudian thinking in the fields of neuroscience and cognitive theory. Nevertheless, the scientific standing of psychoanalysis has long been questioned and developments in the fields of the philosophy of science and psychology require a fresh assessment of the scientific standing of psychoanalysis. While there are a range of views...