Character Styles

Reviews and Endorsements

Stephen Johnson’s Character Styles is a scholarly exploration of the most profound psychological mysteries: what determines human behavior and what we can do about its destructive manifestations. Dr. Johnson’s response to this challenge is distinguished by a vastly informed, deeply felt intelligence. Together with his previous three volumes, Character Styles provides a major contribution to the literature of the healing arts.
Avodah Offit, MD, author of Virtual Love

This book will be useful to all psychotherapists. It is an eminently readable review that integrates and extends several literatures. Disturbances of personality, due to maladaptive character development, are examined with theories of causation that are linked to techniques for change. Therapists will find the lucid, conversational style of highest interest.
Mardi J. Horowitz, MD, professor of psychiatry, director of Center for the Study of Neuroses, UCSF

Customer Reviews

Our customers have given this title an average rating of 5 out of 5 from 1 review(s), add your own review for this title.

Frances Verrinder PhD MFT USA on 23/08/2024 00:34:10

(5 out of 5)

An amazing book from the 90s which I asked all my graduate students to read -- readable, concise and very approachable. I can't recommend it too highly.

Johnson describes the affect, cognition, behavior and treatment interventions for the schizoid, masochistic, narcissistic , borderline and obsessive-compulsive styles.

The chapter on the masochism is probably the best and most useful I have found for working with patients with this style. Johnson describes the therapist's dilemma -- we can't want anything for the patient because they will feel oppressed, refuse us , possibly spitefully. so we have to educate and wait until the patient can slowly begin to express his wants and needs which were so cruelly denied, thereby beginning to build a real sense of self.