Customer Reviews

Affect Dysregulation and Disorders of the Self/Affect Regulation and the Repair of the Self (two-volume set)

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Allan Schore has been one of the main advocates of rapprochement between developmental neuroscience, psychology and psychotherapy. As such, he deserves credit for popularizing what clearly is a promising interdisciplinary approach to resolving the question of which neurobiological circuits drive emotional attachment between the infant and its mother. The field was founded by John Bowlby who discovered that contact with the mother literally shapes the child's brain, so that the early experiences of connection, separation, deprivation, and bereavement determine its behavior as an adult.

Schore gives full credit to Bowlby and his successor Mary Ainsworth and also provides a worthwile compilation of biological research performed between 1950 and ~1995 (although there are a few post 2000 citations). He also furnishes insightful information on Freud's early interest in the neurobiology of mind phenomena.

The problem with both books is their lack of organization and Schore's evident bias towards his own pet theories at the expense of contradictory evidence. Schore has adapted Joseph's idea that attachement behavior results from limbic connections with the right orbitofrontal cortex an, in these two books cites every imaginable (reputable and disreputable) evidence that might be congruent with his hypothesis. The contribution of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, or the left hemisphere is completely ignored, as are many subcortical circuits (such as the insula) unless this supports Schore's ideas.

More significant problem with the books is that both go over the exactly same material. same evidence, and ypothesis, is repeated ad nauseam, literally hundreds of times. Both books could easily be condensed in a single volume of ~150 pages. There is also the question of outdatedness: the substance of the text shows little (if any) difference from Schore's (seminal) 1994 book "Affect Regulation and the Origin of the Self". Finally, i think that Schore writes in a needlessly technical manner that complicates more than reveals, taking the easy way out by citing directly from primary research papers instead of summarizing and condensing what is known.

Be that as it may, there are not many other books out there on this topic and if you haven't had the chance to read the 1994 tome, you could easily skip to ADDS/ARRS.

Allan Schore's books provide evidence of the most concrete kind for the benefits of long-term psychotherapy. With the advent of managed care and the hyperactive sales and advertising of psychotropic medication, not only ordinary consumers but psychotherapists themselves begin to believe their work is unnecessary at best. These two volumes are a collection of papers that bring together evidence from brain research and attachment theory to explain the very solid basis for mind change and therefore brain development that results from caregiving relationships. As a psychotherapist, I am profoundly grateful for the breadth and depth of these scholarly volumes. Dr. Schore stands as a courageous voice against the steamroller of the current industrial mental health system, giving us scientific evidence in their own language.

a little redundant in places, but good theory and worthy of reading for individuals interested in affect regulation. Attempts to cover many areas of research into one theoretical structure; may lose something in this attempt, but good attempt. Would like to see more research generated by it....

An important part of the current literature on attachment and neurobiology - seems to have spurred on a great deal of research, writing and dialogue. It'd probably be helpful to brush up on at least the basics of brain physiology and neurobiology before jumping into this book - but the basics are easy enough to follow and the implications are profound.

This two-volume work is extremely helpful for those seeking to develop a comprehensive understanding of affective neuroscience. It is a highly informative and readable resource for mental health professionals and researchers of all levels.

Excellent synthesis of latest neuro scientific research and the effects of early childhood trauma and the physical and psychologiscal development of the self.

Received the books in a short time, and they were in better condition than I had expected.