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Psychoanalysis, Behavior Therapy, and the Relational World Paul Wachtel. American Psychological Association, 1997. 484 pp., $49.95 (39.95 to APA members) (hardcover).
The history of our field illustrates two oscillating dynamics; separation and integration. While earlier eras, which saw the emergence of the great theories (Freudian, Adlerian Behavioral) were separative in nature, the recent period has been characterized by integration. It's as though one extreme breeds another, only to be gradually replaced by fewer extreme views as the older protagonists are replaced by second generation theorists who more clearly recognize the complexity of the human condition and are less wedded to their own creation.
Paul Wachtel's latest book is clearly integrative and follows logically from his 1977 book Psychoanalysis and Behavior Therapy. This book has been widely cited as a classic and indeed maybe said to have begun the integration movement. However, it's not really a new book at all, since the first part is simply a reprint of that earlier work. This is followed by seven additional chapters focussing on the further integration of both psychoanalysis end behavior therapy with more contextual and systemic therapies. In addition) this second part addresses the integration since 1977 that has occurred as a result of the schema-focussed and constructivistic movements within cognitive behavior therapy and object relations, self-psychology, and the new relational emphasis within psychoanalysis. The book was constructed in this manner, Wachtel says, because the original book was written in such a seamless fashion that new concepts could not be inserted without appeal to be awkward add-ons.
The original 1977 book was an excellent exploration of points of contact and divergence between psychoanalysis and behavior therapy, both theoretical and clinical, and remains so to this day. Indeed, I was struck with how...