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Consisting of the edited transcript of several 1990 workshops at the Masterson Institute, Comparing Psychoanalytic Psychotherapies presents the theory and technique of three approaches that diverge from the orthodox line: “Developmental, Self, and Object Relations” theory, presented by its creator, James Masterson; Heinz Kohut's self psychology, presented by his colleague Marian Tolpin; and, presented by its originator, Peter E. Sifneos, a form of short-term dynamic psychotherapy. Since all three panelists comment on the same well-described case material, the reader is able to see clearly where these approaches overlap and how they differ.
The workshop format makes for lively reading. In Part I, members of the Masterson Institute faculty present three cases of personality disorder, a lower level borderline, a higher level borderline, and a narcissistic personality disorder. As the panelists speak informally about these cases, questioning one another and reacting to comments, they bring to life their respective views. In a separate section, Peter Sifneos describes his short-term dynamic psychotherapy and then responds to questions.
In Part II are the proceedings of three workshops, each run by one of the panelists and consisting of a free-wheeling discussion of that panelist's clinical model. At each workshop, the absence of the other two panelists allows for a refreshing candor. For example, in Masterson's panel, he says “self psychologists don't see the problem as trying to accommodate one view with another view, but rather as one where they have the correct view and we don't understand it” (p. 136).