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This slim volume represents the final achievement of the remarkable creative collaboration of Lichtenberg, Fosshage, and Lachmann, who wrote 7 books together before Lichtenberg’s death in 2021 (age 95). This prolific trio built on Lichtenberg’s earlier groundbreaking contributions, including Psychoanalysis and Infant Research (1983) and Psychoanalysis and Motivation (1989), which Lichtenberg considered his most important book.
In this final contribution the trio of authors continue Lichtenberg’s innovative quest over half a century to shift clinical psychoanalysis to a developmentally- based, multi-motivational, intersubjective clinical exchange. As well, Lichtenberg and his collaborators remain open to judicious use of ego psychology’s conflict theory. For clinicians eager for an integrated and effective approach, this book is for you.
To my mind, the cumulative work of these authors represents an attempt to operationalize an affirmative psychoanalysis. Essentially, with this approach the analyst: appreciates and shares the positive intentions embedded in what the analysand is saying or doing, even when maladaptive; communicates that these are creative attempts developed to protect oneself and one’s relations with others; and suggests that much of value can be gained by learning together about these past and present experiences. I believe that such an affirmative approach creates an optimal growth environment applicable to a broad spectrum of patients in psychotherapy and psychoanalysis, and leads to more successful clinical experiences.
Lichtenberg et al. are not the first to advocate for the spirit of an affirmative approach; for examples see the important contributions of Schafer (1983) and Kris (1990), as well as Kohut’s many contributions in this direction. However the monographs of Lichtenberg et al., taken as a whole, may represent the most up-to-date and detailed methodology for putting into practice an affirmative approach. Consequently, Lichtenberg and the t