Customer Reviews

Pathological Self-Criticism: Assessment and Treatment (The Springer Series in Social/Clinical Psychology)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

(I am the author of this book but was unable to locate author review section). Eleanor Roosevelt once stated that "no one can make you feel inferior without your consent." Most of us, if we have low self-esteem, have the sense that this is something visited upon us--something we cannot control. If a friend were to say, "Please raise your self-esteem," we might look at them sort of funny and say, "Well, I'd like to but how exactly do I do that?" This book is about "how exactly to do that." It was written both for practicing therapists and for anyone wishing to raise his or her self-esteem. It's basic thesis is that ultimately self-esteem is a product of something we ourselves do. Specifically, it is a product of how we function as critics of ourselves. Our self-esteem is essentially our own creation--our own summary appraisal of our own worth and value (this is not to deny for a moment that we may have gotten a bit of help along the way from various detractors in our lives). The book describes (a) different forms that destructive self-criticism takes, (b) a model of constructive self-criticism, and (c) many practical ideas regarding how to abandon destructive practices, adopt more constructive ones, and thus not only raise our self-esteem, but also become more effective, independent, anxiety- and depression-free persons.

This is an excellent resource for conceptualizing and treating clients exhibiting patterns of self-criticism. The book is clearly written with useful examples and intervention strategies. Dr. Bergner places a greater emphasis on cognitive and status dynamic interventions, but the techniques and conceptualizations outlined could be readily incorporated into a variety of psychotherapeutic frameworks. I have found the therapeutic "images" outlined in the book to be particularly useful.

This book was exactly what I (a person who has these exact problems) was looking for. It has put into words what I could not, and showed me how to correct long-standing behaviors. It is well written, both for a lay-person like myself, or a therapist. Give it a read!!