Includes bibliographical references (p. 273-297) and indexes.

I: Theoretical foundations -- Theoretical introduction -- Narcissistic personality disorder -- II: Devitalization : the unmirrored self (schizoid, schizotypal, and avoidant personality disorders) -- Descriptive psychopathology and theoretical viewpoints : schizoid, schizotypal, and avoidant personality disorders -- A self psychological viewpoint : schizoid, schizotypal, and avoidant personality disorders -- III: Forestalling fragmentation (paranoid, obsessive-compulsive, and borderline personality disorders) -- Descriptive psychopathology and theoretical viewpoints : paranoid, obsessive-compulsive, and borderline personality disorders -- A self psychological viewpoint : paranoid, obsessive-compulsive, and borderline personality disorders -- IV: Alternative pathways for preserving a cohesive self (dependent, histrionic, and antisocial personality disorders) -- Descriptive psychopathology and theoretical viewpoints : dependent, histrionic, and antisocial personality disorders -- A self psychological viewpoint : dependent, histrionic, and antisocial personality disorders -- V: Other disorders of the self (depressive personality disorder, disorders of the self and somatic reactivity, and disavowal and the vertical split -- Depressive personality disorder -- Disorders of the self and somatic reactivity -- Disavowal : the vertical split.

"In this book, Marshall L. Silverstein applies a self psychological viewpoint, as formulated and broadened by Kohut, to understanding personality disorders. He recasts them as disorders of the self, grouping them into one of three patterns, centering on (a) combating devitalization, (b) forestalling fragmentation, or (c) seeking alternative pathways to a cohesive self. He describes each group, outlines its main theoretical viewpoints, and then offers a self psychological reformulation of how the behavior and symptom patterns represent deficits in self-cohesion."--Jacket.

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