The Birth of Hatred

Download or read book The Birth of Hatred written by Salman Akhtar and published by Jason Aronson. This book was released on 1995 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What is hatred? How does it differ from rage? What are its origins? Is hatred ever rational? Why are some people unable to let go of it while others are completely incapable of feeling it? Eight distinguished psychoanalysts provide the answers to these and other related questions in this tightly organized volume. With the help of clinical vignettes and literary portrayals, these experienced therapists address the emergence of hatred in the clinical situation. They highlight the various purposes served by the patient's hatred including drive discharge, projective identification, defense against dependence, anchoring of identity, and self holding. They also present a rich understanding of the hatred felt by the therapist vis-...-vis hateful and chronically self-destructive individuals. Finally, they discuss the technical implications of these concepts and delineate useful interventions to contain, manage, and interpret the patient's intense hatred. The matters discussed in this book are diverse and include infant observation, gender differences, child abuse, severe character pathology, multiple personality, countertransference difficulties, literary characters, racial prejudice, ethnic hatred, and war. The focus of the book, however, remains clinical. Its ultimate aim is to enhance the clinician's ability to deal with the hatred felt by the patient, and, at times, by the therapist.