Aggressivity, Narcissism, and Self-Destructiveness in the Psychoterapeutic Relationship: New Developments in the Psychopathology and Psychotherapy of Severe Personality Disorders

Rating:
Summary: A Strong Collection
Review: Collected here are Kernberg's papers from the last decade. As is often the case, one wishes he went into further detail and resisted psychoanalytic lingo at times. But one would have to look hard to find a deeper, more humble, more complex psychoanalytic thinker in the world today.

If Kernberg had the writing ability of, say, the late Stephen A. Mitchell, his works might find a wider audience. I would like to see a fine writer take up Kernberg's ideas and find a way to communicate them more coherently. Even those well-versed in psychoanalysis may find themselves wishing for a clearer articulation of how Kernberg gets from A to B.

That said, this is a rigorous and exciting collection.