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One of the challenges of current psychodynamic practice is the variety of theories that abound, each with its own strengths, each with its own limitations. Clinicians struggle to master the various theories, and answer the question of when to draw from which model, and whether these disparate theories can be used in concert. While much of the literature on the treatment of adolescents has focused on specific theoretical approaches, in his book, Lucente ambitiously uses multiple psychodynamic theories to elucidate the development of character and identity in adolescence. He sets out to present a contemporary, postmodern perspective of adolescence by integrating neurobiological findings and contemporary theories into more traditional psychodynamic practice.
The theoretical ground covered, and his scholarship throughout this compact, 150-page book, are impressive. In a single page he frequently references multiple authors including Hartmann, Erikson, Winnicott, Mahler, Siegel, Schore, Stern, Fonagy, Bowlby, Klein, and more. Thus, this book is not for the theoretically “faint of heart.” At times, the speed with which he moves between ego-psychology, object relations, and neurobiology is dizzying. Having said this, Lucente has a sophisticated understanding of theory, and for those who are already conversant in the psychodynamic language, this work will be easier to traverse, and will reward the reader with the depth and scope of its path.
Another strength of Lucente's book is his strong grasp of neurobiology, and his ability to integrate it into his understanding of both adolescents and the process of psychotherapy. For example, he writes:
therapeutic attunement operates to create maximum cohesion within the left hemisphere as the adolescent's linguistic constructions assume an ever-increasing complexity involving word choice, nuance of meaning and logic. Relative to the mentalizing, autonoetic, and self-reflecting functions localized in the orbito frontal cerebral cortex