The Electrified Mind: Development, Psychopathology, and Treatment in the Era of Cell Phones and the Internet(Margaret S. Mahler)

The Electrified Mind helps therapists understand and empathize with patients who rely heavily upon cell phones and the internet for the purposes of self-expression as well as for defensive avoidance of actual interpersonal contact. The chapters by distinguished mental health professionals delineate therapeutic strategies for dealing with the dilemmas that arise in working with children, adolescents, and adults excessively involved with cyberspace at the cost of meaningful human relationships.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Chapter 1 The Cell Phone-Internet Lexicon: Overview and Implications Chapter 2 Minds on Media: Young People and Mental Health in the Internet Age Chapter 3 The Epidemic of Information: Pros and Cons Chapter 4 Cyberspace, Transitional Space and Adolescent Development Chapter 5 Cyberplay: The Pros and Cons of a 'Macrosphere' Chapter 6 Reality in Cyberspace: Patients' Use of the Internet and Ordinary Everyday Psychosis Chapter 7 Preoedipal Paradise in the World of the Web Chapter 8 The Electronic Couch: Some Observations About Skype Treatment Chapter 9 Separation, Sex, Superego, and Skype Chapter 10 Multiple Meanings of the 'Electrified Mind': A Concluding Commentary References About the Editor and Contributors

About the Author :
Salman Akhtar, MD, is professor of psychiatry at Jefferson Medical College and training and supervising analyst at the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia.

Review :
This timely volume addresses the impact of modern information technology on the human mind. The incessant company and/or intrusion of cell-phones, the addictive reliance on the internet, and the emergent uses of Skype are brought into consideration to unmask the positive and negative effects of communication technologies on personality development, interpersonal relations, and the conduct of psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. The Electrified Mind is on the cutting edge not only of psychodynamic thinking but, more broadly, of our rapidly changing era. This book is informative, engaging,and well worth the read for all health care professionals, parents, teens, and persons interested in the interconnection between our brains, our minds, and our contemporary world.. Each day the rapid advance in electronics seems to bring with it another new technology which can capture and even monopolize the attention of our patients, our children, and ourselves. In The Electrified Mind Dr. Akhtar has assembled a fascinating collection of highly readable papers which examine the developmental, cultural, and therapeutic aspects of this ongoing transformation of the way all of us learn about and relate to each other and the world. This timely volume addresses the impact of modern information technology on the human mind. The incessant company and/or intrusion of cell-phones, the addictive reliance on the internet, and the emergent uses of Skype. It unmasks the positive and negative effects of communication technologies on personality development, interpersonal relations, and the conduct of psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. The Electrified Mind is on the cutting edge not only of psychodynamic thinking but, more broadly, of our rapidly changing era. This book is informative, engaging, and well worth the read for all health care professionals, parents, teens, and persons interested in the interconnection between our brains, our minds, and our contemporary world.