Normal Child and Adolescent Development: A Psychodynamic Primer
Drs. Gilmore and Meersand have written far more than a simple primer of normal child and adolescent development. Their book is a tour de force, a sophisticated review of the child development literature from classical psychodynamic theories to a modern interactive, transactional approach. Disparate paradigms of genetic, cognitive, psychosexual, and psychosocial theories are woven together in a clear, integrative approach that does not throw out the baby of attachment theory with the bathwater of classical psychodynamics. This is a superb synthesis demonstrating that each individual is a complex product of endowment, environment, and particular relationships ... a must for all those interested in human development. --Clarice J. Kestenbaum, M.D., Director of Training Emerita and Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, NYGilmore and Meersand have succeeded in the Herculean task of articulating a coherent psychodynamic account of development from birth through early adulthood. Weaving together the threads and hints that permeate classic and contemporary psychoanalytic theories with current research findings and illustrative vignettes, the authors offer a depiction of psychological development infused with the sensibility and wisdom of an integrative psychoanalytic framework which takes account of multiple internal and external forces on development. Their objective is to enhance the ability of psychoanalytic clinicians to make use of developmental notions in clinical work with individuals of all ages. Written in a lively and engaging style, their volume achieves this goal with eminent success. --Jeanine M. Vivona, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology; The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ