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Mutuality, Recognition, and the Self: Psychoanalytic Reflections

Author(s) : Christine C. Kieffer

Reviews and Endorsements

‘In Mutuality, Recognition, and the Self, Christine Kieffer treats her subject with the breadth of perspective it requires and deserves. She begins where the origins of all our “selves” begin – embedded in a family. Unlike many comparable studies, she gives special emphasis to father–daughter, sibling and only child, and grandparent relatedness. Always clinically centred, Dr Kieffer takes the reader through her experiences with groups and developmental impasses. What is outstanding about her treatment of these subjects is her sensitive integration of several contemporary theoretical strands into a readable, coherent whole.’
— Joseph D. Lichtenberg, Editor-in-Chief of Psychoanalytic Inquiry; Director Emeritus of the Institute of Contemporary Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis, Washington

‘In the deft and experienced hands of Christine Kieffer, the vicissitudes of diverse family constellations, the vagaries of self-consolidation, and the variations of technique with provocative patients come fully alive. With solid moorings in developmental perspective and by blending Winnicottian ideas with the au courant intersubjective approach, Kieffer comes up with fresh insights on father–daughter relationships, the plight and pleasures of only children, the psychically sustaining function of the group at large, the psychopathology of entitled victims, and the dilemmas in the management of negative countertransference. This is heady stuff and, frankly, contemporary psychoanalysis at its best.’
— Salman Akhtar, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Jefferson Medical College; training and supervising analyst, Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia

‘Christine Kieffer’s book is at once integrative, comprehensive, and innovative. A seasoned, open-minded clinical analyst, she moves beyond the usual limits of the consulting room to the influential interpersonal environments that are so important in our psychic lives: families, siblings, grandparents, and larger groups. Rooted in the intersubjective and developmental perspectives, Kieffer draws on her mastery of both contemporary and traditional analytic perspectives, including self-psychology, ego psychology, relational analysis, and non-linear dynamic systems theory. Offering exceptionally broad and thorough literature reviews and thoughtful, impressive clinical vignettes throughout, her book will reward beginners and experts alike.’
— Stephen Seligman, DMH, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Infant– Parent Program, University of California, San Francisco; joint Editor-in-Chief of Psychoanalytic Dialogues