Customer Reviews

A Primer of Transference Focused Psychotherapy for the Borderline Patient

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Not only an excellent introduction to the treatment of patients with borderline personality disorder, but also an extremely lucid explanation of object relations theory and its application. Because the authors define "borderline personality organization" quite broadly, the techniques they outline are applicable to nearly all patients in long-term, insight-oriented psychotherapy. This is by far the best introduction to the murky world of object relations theory, and to the work of Otto Kernberg, that I have yet encountered. In spite of its cumbersome title, it is probably destined to become a classic.As Peter Fonagy writes on the back cover: "It is a must have."

I think the focus on transference vis a vis BPD is a good one, as the disorder involves a lot of interpersonal/attachment problems. But much of the book is somewhat presumptuous, based on things not measurable or seen. I also found some of the examples to reinforce negative stereotypes about the borderline patient's anger, which simply do not jibe with a lot of clinical experience that is more nuanced and subtle.
Also, the insistence that anger simply equates the "abuser role" and other shortcuts that the authors use belie the complexity of not just these patients' emotions, but anyone's!