About the Book
Humans are weak. Lacking the claws and thick skins of other animals, we are forced to rely on members of our own species to survive and flourish in the world. The fact that the human infant is born in an utterly helpless state also makes others' protective care necessary. Attachment, bonding, concern, and mutuality thus become cornerstones of human existence. Trust also enters this equation. Originating in the early mother-child relationship, trust continues to grow, get contextually refined tempered by reality testing, and gain nuances throughout the subsequent adult life. Its absence (mistrust) or malformation (distrust) contributes to psychopathology and is responsible for much intrapsychic distress and interpersonal strife.Given its formative significance and it crucial role in the therapeutic process, one is surprised by the paucity of psychoanalytic writings specifically devoted to the topic of trust and mistrust. Few, if any, monographs on trust exist. This new book, edited by Salman Akhtar, seeks to fill this gap. A collection of essays written specifically for this volume, it deals with the ontogenesis, psychopathology, cultural vicissitudes, and technical implications of trust and mistrust. Distinguished psychiatrists, psychoanalysts, and litterateurs provide penetrating insights on normative, relativistic, and morbid phenomena in this realm. Seamless blending of theory and technique makes the book both scientific and useful. The reader is assured an informative map of a psychic terrain that is fundamental to human existence.
Table of Contents:
Introduction , Developmental Realm , The development of trust and mistrust in childhood , Mistrust in adolescence , Mistrust, suspiciousness, and paranoia in adulthood , Cultural Realm , Governments and public trust , In Shakespeare do we trust? , Trust Hollywood! , Clinical Realm , Trust, faith, and transcendence , Trust and mistrust in the clinical setting , Mistrusting the analyst , A child’s struggle with trusting his analyst , Trust and mistrust in psychoanalytic work with couples
About the Author :
Salman Akhtar, MD, was born in India and completed his medical and psychiatric education there. Upon arriving in the USA in 1973, he repeated his psychiatric training at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, and then obtained psychoanalytic training from the Philadelphia Psychoanalytic Institute. Currently, he is Professor of Psychiatry at Jefferson Medical College and a training and supervising analyst at the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia. He has authored, edited or co-edited more than 300 publications including books on psychiatry and psychoanalysis and several collections of poetry. He is also a Scholar-in-Residence at the Inter-Act Theatre Company in Philadelphia. Salman Akhtar received the Sigourney Award in 2012.
Review :
'Rarely has a book been more timely. Mistrust increasingly lies at the heart of political and social upheavals throughout the world. Many have lost trust in ourinstitutions and our leaders, indeed, in fellow humans - the "others" - who are especially mistrusted. Dr Salman Akhtar and ten international contributors offervaluable insights on the origins, nature and consequences of mistrust throughout the life cycle and from psychoanalytic, psychological, cultural and clinical perspectives. A book not to be missed.'- Frederick Lowy, Former Dean of Medicine, University of Toronto and President of Concordia University, Montreal'In this comprehensive and noteworthy contribution to psychoanalysis, Salman Akhtar brings into focus the ontogenetic development and interpersonal roots of trust and mistrust. Drawing on clinical, literary, cultural, historical, and even political sources, the contributors Akhtar has brought together fill a significant gap in our literature. As a result, this volume with its plurality of perspectives will become a lasting guidepost not only for psychoanalysts but clinicians at all level of training and experience.'- Shahrzad Siassi, Faculty, New Center for Psychoanalysis, Los Angeles, and author of Forgiveness in Intimate Relationships
