How much of our identity or 'self' is truly
representative of our own wants, needs, and goals in
life and how much does it reflect the desires and
priorities of someone else? Are we following our own
destiny or are we unconsciously repeating the lives of
our parents, living according to their values, ideals,
and beliefs? In this thought-provoking book, noted
clinical psychologist Robert Firestone and his
co-authors explore the struggle that all of us face in
striving to retain a sense of ourselves as unique
individuals. The self is under siege from several
sources: primarily pain and rejection in the
developmental years, problems in relationships,
detrimental societal forces, and existential realities
that affect all people. Through numerous case studies
and personal stories from men and women who participated
in a 35-year observational study, the authors illustrate
how voice therapy, a cognitive/affective/behavioral
methodology pioneered by Firestone, is used to elicit,
identify, and challenge the destructive inner voice and
to change aversive behaviors based on its prescriptions.
The theory they describe integrates the psychodynamic
and existential approaches underlying voice therapy and
is enriched by research findings in the neurosciences,
attachment research, and terror management theory (TMT).
An important addition to the area of personality
development theory, The Self under Siege offers a new
perspective on differentiation and the battle to
separate ourselves from the chains of the past. It
provides psychotherapists and other mental health
professionals with the tools needed to help clients
differentiate from the dysfunctional attitudes and toxic
personality traits of their parents, other family
members, and harmful societal influences that have
unconsciously dominated their lives. This book will have
a special appeal to clients and, in fact, to any person
interested in his/her own personal development |
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