1st Edition

Shame The Underside of Narcissism

By Andrew P. Morrison Copyright 1989

    Morrison provides a critical history of analytic and psychiatric attempts to make sense of shame, beginning with Freud and culminating in Kohut's understanding of shame in terms of narcissistic phenomena. The clinical section of the book clarifies both the theoretical status and treatment implications of shame in relation to narcissistic personality disorder, neurosis and higher-level character pathology, and manic-depressive illness.

    Introduction. Part I: A Theoretical Framework. Some Theoretical Perspectives on Shame. Primitive Object Relations, Early Narcissism, and Shame. Shame and Narcissism. Shame and Self Psychology: Kohut's Contributions. Part II: Clinical Applications. The Case of Mr. Dowland. Some Shame-Related Phenomena. Shame and Defense. Shame and Narcissistic Pathology. Shame and Neurotic (Differentiated Character) Conditions. Shame and Manic-Depressive Illness. Epilogue.

    Biography

    Andrew P. Morrison

    "The experience of shame is universal; yet, the subject has not been explored until recently in psychoanalytic writings.  With this thoughtful and important book, Morrison brings shame to the forefront and demonstrates its central role in clinical work.  Shame: The Underside of Narcissism represents the first systematic effort to integrate relevant psychoanalytic writings and to develop a comprehensive conceptualization of shame."

    - Ruth Dean, DSW, Clinical Social Work Journal

    "Morrison's work is thoughtful, engaging, and clincally useful.  Its new insights, thought-provoking hypotheses, and compelling clinical material help to focus attention on an ubiquitous and singularly painful aspect of human experience."

    - Erik Kulick, M.D., Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic

    "Morrison has succeeded in moving forward the study of shame, beyond drive theory and ego psychology, to the work of Kohut...It is a carefully reasoned and scholarly addition to the evolving psychoanalytic study of shame."

    - Milton Eber, Ph.D., Psychoanalytic Books