A Developmentalist's Approach to Research, Theory, and Therapy

Among the remarkable qualities of Joseph Lichtenberg are his sparkling, youthful curiosity coupled with his profound acquaintance with the world of psychoanalysis. But his inquisitiveness and explorations do not end there, but extend to the larger world of literature, art, and creativity. In this collection of his papers he takes the reader on a guided tour of his psychoanalytic and creative life from his early interests in Freud and ego psychology through his acquaintance with Kohut and self psychology to his discovery of the importance of infant research, intersubjectivity, and his proposal of the seven motivational systems. Along the way, from his own unique, insightful perspective he offers a fresh look at the Oedipus Complex, sensuality and sexuality, early development and therapeutic action. In his chapter on the creativity of Eugene O’Neil, Henry James, and Ludwig van Beethoven, he says about the latter that he remastered the present, reabsorbed the past and provided the key to the future. The same can be said about Joseph Lichtenberg. - Frank M. Lachmann, Ph.D. Founding Faculty, Institute for the Psychoanalytic Study of Subjectivity, New York

What a wonderful gift it is for the student of psychoanalysis at any level to have at his or her disposal this hand-picked selection of Joseph Lichtenberg’s original publications, handpicked by Lichtenberg himself! Lichtenberg’s rather intimidating range of contributions, and his equally intimidating encyclopedic knowledge of the field, is now comfortably contained and accessible to the reader. The volume comprises a selection of essays divided into three sections, the first concerning Infant Studies, the second concerning theoretical contributions to Self-Psychology and Motivation, and the third devoted to Clinical Contributions. The book as a whole is a course in psychoanalysis from the scholarly perspective of Joseph Lichtenberg himself. – Estelle Shane, Ph.D. Training Analyst, Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis and The New Center for Psychoanalysis

"A feature of Lichtenberg’s work that I particularly appreciate is the phenomenological emphasis that has characterized its trajectory. Whether seeking to integrate infancy research into psychoanalytic thought or formulating the motivational systems that configure psychological life, Lichtenberg’s penetrating focus is always on the experience-near—on relationally-embedded organizations of emotional experience, eschewing reified metapsychological entities. The present volume gives us a rich sampling of these important and clinically valuable contributions." — Robert D. Stolorow, PhD., author, World, Affectivity, Trauma: Heidegger and Post-Cartesian Psychoanalysis (Routledge, 2011)

This book is the work of a master! Joseph Lichtenberg's capacity to absorb, integrate, and illuminate an extraordinary thematic range within the clinical. theoretical, and historical vicissitudes of the psychoanalytic terrain is legendary. Drawing upon his own personal narrative, scholarly journey, and the refined sensitivity in his observations - the author's breadth of scope and recognition of subtleties in meaning and relevance offer the reader an informative, original, as well as challenging view in the wide-ranging and significant dimensions of psychoanalytic study. Containing historical, literary, musical, as well as developmental and psychological references, this is a most engaging book from which one can learn a great deal. - Evelyne Albrecht Schwaber, M.D. Training and Supervising Analyst, Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, Member, Psychoanalytic Institute of New England, East Visiting Faculty, Pittsburgh Psychoanalytic Center