Robert D. Stolorow

George E. Atwood

In this new edition of their now classic work, George Atwood and Robert Stolorow explore the ways in which a theory of personality is influenced and colored by the subjective world of the theorist. Using psychobiographical analyses of Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Wilhelm Reich, and Otto Rank as illustrations, the authors show how the central constructs of personality theories universalize their creators' personal solutions to the nuclear crises and dilemmas of their own life histories. Illuminating the subjective origins of a personality theory does not invalidate the theory, according to Atwood and Stolorow, but rather contributes to establishing the scope of the theory as well as its applicability to particular clinical situations. The first edition of Faces in a Cloud (published in 1979) was the seminal work out of which emerged the now influential theory of intersubjectivity - a framework that calls for a radical revision of all aspects of psychoanalytic thought. This revised edition incorporates significant new material into the psychobiographical analyses and has been completely updated and rewritten to reflect the development of the authors' viewpoint. The terminology used throughout the book to describe personal worlds of experience has been updated and refined in consonance with this contemporary theoretical perspective. The final chapter summarizes key aspects of this new perspective and offers reflections on the subjective origins of intersubjectivity theory itself.

Intersubjectivity in Personality Theory

Faces in a Cloud

Bernard Branchaft

A collection of previously published chapters and papers.

The Intersubjective Perspective

L'abisso della follia

Despite the many ways in which the so-called psychoses can become manifest, they are ultimately human events arising out of human contexts. As such, they can be understood in an intersubjective manner, removing the stigmatizing boundary between madness and sanity. Utilizing the post-Cartesian psychoanalytic approach of phenomenological contextualism, as well as almost 50 years of clinical experience, George Atwood presents detailed case studies depicting individuals in crisis and the successes and failures that occurred in their treatment. Topics range from depression to schizophrenia, bipolar disorder to dreams, dissociative states to suicidality. Throughout is an emphasis on the underlying essence of humanity demonstrated in even the most extreme cases of psychological and emotional disturbance, and both the surprising highs and tragic lows of the search for the inner truth of a life – that of the analyst as well as the patient.

George E. Atwood

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