Table of Contents

Introduction
I. Conceptual Issues
1. Why Diagnose?
2. Psychoanalytic Character Diagnosis
3. Developmental Levels of Personality Organization
4. Implications of Developmental Levels of Organization
5. Primary Defensive Processes
6. Secondary Defensive Processes
II. Types of Character Organization
7. Psychopathic (Antisocial) Personalities
8. Narcissistic Personalities
9. Schizoid Personalities
10. Paranoid Personalities
11. Depressive and Manic Personalities
12. Masochistic (Self-Defeating) Personalities
13. Obsessive and Compulsive Personalities
14. Hysterical (Histrionic) Personalities
15. Dissociative Psychologies
Appendix. Suggested Diagnostic Interview Format

About the Author

Nancy McWilliams, PhD, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, USA

Reviews

"In revising Psychoanalytic Diagnosis, McWilliams has surpassed herself. The original -- deservedly regarded as a classic -- was an integrative tour de force; the second edition is even better. Informed by current advances in neuroscience and infant research, and reshaped in light of the 'relational turn' in contemporary psychoanalysis, this book distills a vast literature on development, psychopathology, and therapy into an extraordinarily useful map of the clinical terrain. It is at once an indispensable resource for beginning therapists, a valuable teaching tool, and a comprehensive reference for seasoned clinicians." - David J. Wallin, in private practice, Mill Valley and Albany, California, USA "This is a book for all clinicians who aspire to understand their clients deeply and help them live more richly and authentically. McWilliams synthesizes a century of cumulative clinical wisdom and offers it in a form that is accessible and useful to clinicians of any theoretical persuasion. The first edition of Psychoanalytic Diagnosis was an instant classic; the second edition is exceptionally lucid and masterful. This is McWilliams, master clinician and teacher, at her very best." - Jonathan Shedler, University of Colorado School of Medicine, USA "In this accessible and impassioned book, McWilliams provides organizing principles to help us understand psychopathology without oversimplifying or evading the difficult questions raised by diagnosis. Reading McWilliams's book will make you feel like you know her. Her extraordinary humanity, wisdom, deep sense of ethics, and steady concern for her patients are evident throughout. The second edition includes an updated presentation of attachment theory, addresses the contributions of relational theory and neuroscience research, and integrates a contemporary understanding of somatization and defense. A 'must read' for every clinician in training." - Joyce A. Slochower, New York University, USA