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It is notable that the psychoanalytic literature has relatively few articles and books on the topic of divorce, given how common it is within society and within our consultation and play rooms, and how profound the emotional impact is on those affected. A recent Pep-Web search for specific divorce-related articles reveals a total of 55 publications, including a few books and a relative paucity of journal articles that can be divided into traumatic affects in adult patients going through divorce, occasional child analytic case reports, autobiographical accounts of divorce and, even rarer, scientific studies. Thus, Divorce: Emotional Impact and Therapeutic Interventions is a welcome addition to this body of literature and is the latest contribution to the Margaret S. Mahler series of books
based on the annual Philadelphia symposium in her honor and is again edited by Salman Akhtar.
This slim but rich volume shares the six presentations from that daylong conference in 2016 as well as an introductory chapter by Akhtar with Shawn Blue and a concluding chapter by Suzanne Benser. The contributions of the eight psychoanalytically-informed authors, spanning the fields of individual adult and child therapy and analysis, couples’ and family therapy, and forensic psychological and legal work, highlight various points of information and intervention in the life cycle of a marriage and family system. The overall tone of directness and pragmatism along with vivid clinical vignettes bring alive the conflicts, affects, anxieties, cruelties, and challenges and expand the possibilities of thoughtful and effective interventions. A wide spectrum of legal and mental health practitioners, from students to seasoned professionals, will benefit from the psychoanalytic perspectives and wisdom that shed light and help to orient readers in the face of these complex, affectively intense, and disorganizing experiences.
Framing divorce within the psychoanalytic perspective, Suzanne Benser write