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“The time has come,” the Walrus said,
“To talk of many things:
Of shoes—and ships—and sealing-wax—
Of cabbages—and kings—”
In a recent issue of the International Journal of Psychoanalytic Self Psychology (2007, Vol. 2, No. 3), Hastings reviewed The Development of the Person: The Minnesota Study of Risk and Adaptation From Birth to Adulthood (Sroufe et al., 2005) in the context of a cautionary tale. In addition to an eloquent piece of writing, this particularly unique approach to a book review holds the potential for the beginning of an exciting and evocative dialogue about theory, metaphor, and our contemporary “creation myths.” All of these elements are set against the backdrop of discussing an extraordinarily rich and meticulously executed longitudinal research study. It does not get much better than this!
As psychoanalysts, we can easily become too closely identified with our theories to the detriment of our capacity to facilitate change—whether it be change in our consulting rooms or change in our thinking. Hastings skillfully guides us on a journey through the development and contemporary