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Borden, W. (2009). Contemporary Psychodynamic Theory and Practice. Chicago, IL: Lyceum, 185 pp., $37.95.
A faculty member in both the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration and Department of Psychiatry, Dr. Borden has been exploring the interface between psychoanalytic theory and clinical social work practice for much of his career. In this latest publication, he emphasizes a trend toward a growing integration between clinical social work practice and psychoanalytic theory, which he primarily attributes to the recent emergence of psychoanalytic paradigms that increasingly emphasize interpersonal dynamics over and above purely intrapsychic conflicts and/or structural vulnerabilities. This is reflected both in our contemporary understanding of the etiology of psychological states and in our emphasis on the crucial role of the therapeutic relationship in the psychodynamic treatment process (see Chernus, 2005, 2007). According to Borden, however, schools of social work have not appreciated the contributions of the psychodynamic theories loosely referred to as “relational,” which include, in his opinion, object relations perspectives, interpersonal theory, and self psychology. The author wisely suggests that he is not intending to present an in-depth account of the contributions of each of these diverse groups of analytic theorists, but rather that he is providing somewhat of a road map, so that the clinical social work practitioner can more fully appreciate their original writings.
Despite the above stated purposes in constructing this concise and highly illuminating volume, Borden also does not intend it to be primarily a position statement advocating “critical pluralism,” by which he means an integration of elements from all three of the relational perspectives exemplified by the theorists reviewed in this book. Though this is only implicit in his two concluding chapters, rather than fully developed, Borden has previously endorsed “critical plur