Description
Book SynopsisThe problems which the individual has to deal with in adolescence are qualitatively different from those of childhood; they are related in particular to the adolescent's reaction/responses to the physical development of his/her sexual body, and the changing relationship to the parents and to the world in which he/she lives. We have to take into account the revival of infantile conflicts and the newly emerging sexual and aggressive urges and experiences, both of which have to be integrated by the adolescent so that a new equilibrium can be created. The adolescent finds himself in the very difficult position of having to make all these readjustments whilst he has to deal with the subsequent conflicts and anxieties. The earlier passionate mixture of love and hatred that characterizes the attachment and dependency on the parents must now be renounced until the adolescent reaches a point at which it is possible for him to confirm his own identity and find new love relationships. These must neither be based too much on repetition of previous early attachments, nor be entirely and exaggeratedly opposed to them. It goes without saying that none of this can be achieved without much upheaval and experimenting. The step from adolescence to adulthood is complex and involves not only the individual's emotional experience, but also the continuous input, reactions from the world in which he/she lives. It is these interactions that are described and discussed in this book.
Trade Review'Written with remarkable clarity and concision, the authors draw upon a lifetime of clinical experience of working with young people, and in a series of elegant chapters, share their insights generously, tackling such perennial challenges as depression, anxiety, aggression, academic failure, and the addictions. Utilising their psychoanalytical expertise, the authors help parents and psychological professionals to discriminate between how much adolescent suffering can be attributed to the ordinary vicissitudes of passing through puberty, and how much results from unresolved psychical conflicts from earlier stages of development. As a bonus, Series Editor Dr A.H. Brafman provides a remarkably helpful coda to the book, offering many additional insights for parents. This rich and engaging book deserves a long shelf-life.'- Professor Brett Kahr, Senior Clinical Research Fellow, Centre for Child Mental Health, London; Consultant, The Bowlby Centre; and Honorary Visiting Professor, School of Arts, University of Roehampton'The authors of this book have written a refreshing and comprehensive psychoanalytic view of adolescence as it moves ever closer to the adult life. Late adolescence is a time of much potential and possibility but it is not without its difficulties and challenges. How do adolescents deal with the many vexations of developmental conflict and dilemma? What is normal and what is not? What kinds of mental breakdown might occur to limit their futures? And what of parents and therapists as they do their best to help? These and many other questions are readily taken on by the authors with great care and understanding - and it is this which makes for a book that is thoughtful, imaginative and well worth reading to keep all of us in tune with the ebbs and flows of the adolescent adventure.'- Peter Wilson, BA, Dip Soc Studies, MACP, Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist
Table of ContentsSeries Editor’s Foreword , Introduction , Normality and pathology in adolescence , Depression and anxiety in the older adolescent , Academic failure , Aggression , Drug abuse , Severe mental illness , The therapist’s angle , The parents’ angle
