Hope: A Shield in the Economy of Borderline States: 26 (The New Library of Psychoanalysis) - Softcover

Potamianou, Anna

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0415121779 ISBN 13: 9780415121774

Publisher: Routledge, 1996

Synopsis

In the well known myth of Pandora, hope was the last and most need gift at the bottom of a box of myriad misfortunes let loose on an unsuspecting world. For most human beings hope is a positive benefit. Anna Potamianou shows how in the 'borderline' patient hope can become a perverted and omnipotent means of denying reality. Indeed, in such individuals any state of mind or feeling can take on the status of an object, which is then used as a barrier against their fear of change.

The psychic economy and dynamics of borderline states are not yet well understood and this book makes an important contribution to the clinical debate.

About this title

Review:

"Theoretically interesting and clinically helpful. The author vividly conveys the borderline patient's world of chaos and unthinkable threats." - Journal of the British Association for Psychotherapists

Synopsis:

In the well known myth of Pandora, hope was the last and most needed gift at the bottom of a box of myriad misfortunes let loose on an unsuspecting world. For most human beings hope is a positive benefit. But in this work, Anna Potamianou shows how in the "borderline" patient it can become an omnipotent means of denying reality. Indeed, in such individuals, any state of mind or feeling can take on the status of an object, which is then used as a barrier against their fear of change. The author gives both clinical and literary examples of how this happens and goes on to discuss the connection between hope and desire for these patients.

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0415121779
• ISBN 13: 9780415121774
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 128