Description
“This diminutive book packs a powerful punch … Mollon skilfully manages to bring together the many facets of this subject in a succinct, engaging way… a complex subject, artfully curated and expressed.” — Sussex Counselling and Psychotherapy News, Spring 2021
Pathologies of the Self draws on almost 45 years of clinical practice to explore the nature and structure of human identity. Collectively, we are trapped in images of self, whether constructed by us, or imposed by others. These illusions are inextricably bound to our sense of who we are, and sometimes defended so fiercely that it leads to narcissistic disturbances and borderline states of mind. In this fascinating book Phil Mollon explores narcissistic phenomena in both the clinic and everyday life, demonstrating the illusory nature of the self, and showing how, beneath our defences, we are all ‘borderline’.
This is published by confer; an online cpd orientated organisation for mental health clinicians. Publications tend to be readable and are written with a light touch. The book gives a very a good overview of narcissistic and borderline states of mind. There is a boat load of literature from various theoretical schools on borderline and narcissistic states of mind. What is attractive and unique about this book is the balance Mollon strikes between accessibility for the generalist and rigour for the more seasoned clinician. Mollon draws on his previous work on narcissism (The Fragile Self) and lays out different analytic perspectives to understanding borderline and narcissistic states. He then introduces his more recent work on energy psychology and how this can contribute to clinical treatment. A very good read. I recommend it to my supervisees and trainees.