Self-Narratives The Construction of Meaning in Psychotherapy

by Hermans, Hubert J. M.; Hermans-Jansen, Els

• ISBN13: 9781572307131
• ISBN10: 1572307137
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-06-22
• Publisher: The Guilford Press

Summary

In this book, Hubert J. M. Hermans and Els Hermans-Jansen elaborate a model of the clinical use of self-narratives--the stories people use to construct meaning out the events in their lives--in counseling and psychotherapy. Based on extensive case studies and filled with a rich variety of illustrative examples, this integrative work covers the model's theory, methodology, and clinical applications.

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(6)
The Person as Motivated Storyteller: Basic Metaphor	6	(8)
How the Story Reflects the Metaphor of Contextualism	6	(3)
Telling and Retelling One's Self-Narrative	9	(2)
Motivation, Plot Structure, and Story Themes	11	(3)
The Self as an Organized Process of Meaning Construction	14	(17)
Valuation Theory	14	(3)
The Constructive Nature of Valuation: The Manifest Level	17	(4)
Psychological Motivation: The Latent Level	21	(4)
Affect: The Bridge between Motivation and Valuation	25	(2)
Telling and Retelling One's Self-Narrative	27	(4)
The Self-Confrontation Method: Constructing and Reconstructing One's Self-Narrative	31	(42)
The First Self-Investigation: Content and Structure of the Valuation System	33	(14)
The Validation/Invalidation Process	47	(7)
The Second Self-Investigation	54	(1)
Case Example	55	(7)
Assessment, Process Promotion, Evaluation	62	(11)
The Nature of Valuation: Structure and Process	73	(47)
The Autonomous Quality of Self-Enhancement	73	(5)
Opposition: Anger and Hate as Defensive Forms of Self-Enhancement	78	(5)
Unity and Love: Beyond Self-Esteem	83	(3)
Unfulfilled Longing: Fugit Amor	86	(5)
Powerlessness and Isolation: Basic Anxiety	91	(4)
Combining High Levels of Self-Enhancement and Contact	95	(2)
Two Valuation Systems: Their Dialogical Change	97	(4)
The Role of Imaginal Figures in Valuation	101	(10)
Implications for Psychological Health	111	(9)
Dreams and Myths: Routes to the Less Conscious Areas of the Self	120	(34)
Dreams as Personal Stories	120	(18)
Collective Stories: Themes in Greek Mythology	138	(7)
The Narcissus Myth and the Concerns of Clients: The Relevance of the Manifest-Latent Distinction	145	(6)
Summary	151	(3)
Dissociations and Dysfunctions	154	(45)
Dissociation: A Precursor to Dysfunction	154	(9)
Dysfunctional Valuation Systems	163	(13)
Other Forms of Dysfunction	176	(19)
Discussion: The Relation between Dissociation and Dysfunction	195	(4)
Motivational Characteristics of the Self: Lifelong Development	199	(41)
Infancy: Early Differentiation of Self and Other	200	(4)
Early Childhood: Growing Self-Integration	204	(4)
Middle Childhood: The Power of Peers	208	(4)
Adolescence: Integrating a Complexity of New Experiences	212	(10)
Early and Middle Adulthood	222	(6)
Late Adulthood	228	(5)
Death as Opponent and Companion	233	(2)
Summary: Flexibility and the Life Cycle	235	(5)
Summary and Perspective	240	(4)
Manual	244	(31)
Formulation of the Valuations	245	(4)
Affective Exploration and Analyses	249	(9)
Discussion with the Client	258	(4)
The Validation/Invalidation Process	262	(2)
The Second Self-Evaluation	264	(2)
Guidelines for the Learning Psychologist	266	(3)
Adaptations and Extensions of the Self-Confrontation Method	269	(6)
Appendix 1 Extended Set of Questions	275	(2)
Appendix 2 Extended List of Affect Terms	277	(1)
Appendix 3 Information for Those Interested in Learning This Method	278	(3)
References	281	(16)
Index	297