Routledge Mental Health

About the Book

Best known for his contributions to the development of contemporary Intersubjectivity theory, Bernard Brandchaft has dedicated a lifetime’s worth of work toward the advancement of psychoanalytic theory and practice. Continually searching for a theoretical viewpoint that would satisfactorily explain the clinical phenomena he was encountering, his curiosity eventually led him to the work of Heinz Kohut and the then-emerging school of self psychology. However, seemingly always one step ahead of the crowd, Brandchaft constantly reformulated his ideas about and investigations into the intersubjective nature of human experiences.

This selection of papers, some of which have never before been published, is representative of various stages in the development of Brandchaft’s thinking along the road to Intersubjectivity. Moreover, commentary from Dorienne Sorter and Shelley Doctors – in addition to Bernard Brandchaft himself – examines the clinical implications of the theoretical shifts that he advocated and provides a contemporary context for the case material and conclusions each paper presents. These theoretical shifts, both clear and subtle, are thereby elucidated to form the grand narrative of a truly visionary psychoanalytic thinker.