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La diagnosi psicoanalitica. Struttura della personalità e processo clinico
La trattazione sistematica della diagnosi da un punto di vista psicoanalitico è faccenda complessa, che deve cominciare con una domanda per nulla retorica: serve a qualcosa una diagnosi in psicoanalisi? In altri termini, una ricerca del genere deve non solo organizzare una materia dispersa e disorganica, ma ricca e vasta, come i sistemi diagnostici nati nella storia della psicoanalisi, ma deve anche legittimare le categorie diagnostiche così individuate, mostrando come e perché siano funzionali al trattamento clinico e siano capaci di indirizzarlo in modo decisivo. Ciò spiega perché questo della McWilliams sia sostanzialmente l'unico libro di ampio respiro dedicato a tale tema uscito negli ultimi trent'anni.
432 pages, Paperback
First published April 15, 1994
About the author
Nancy McWilliams
22 books220 followersMcWilliams is a psychoanalytic/dynamic author, teacher, supervisor, and therapist.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 181 reviews
January 3, 2020
Starting with the pros of this therapy book, Nancy McWilliams writes with great intelligence about psychoanalytic diagnosis. She breaks down the distinct forms of functioning (e.g., neurotic, borderline, psychotic) and even though I find this form of diagnosis outdated, she makes strong cases for each conceptualization and provides reasonable therapy implications and differential diagnosis commentary. She also considers nuance in her conceptualization and remarks about how other therapeutic orientations view similar phenomena; this openness to other orientations suggests that she cares most about what would benefit clients over sticking to one form of treatment for the sake of it. She included some insights I found personally revelatory and important, such as how we have to mourn relationships we lose or the images of those people take up space in our minds in unhealthful ways, or how children will try to believe themselves as bad to justify why a parent figure would abuse them.
I think two areas of this book left me wanting more. First, I found sociocultural awareness lacking in this book in several ways. I wrote down around five to ten examples but just to provide a few: for example, early on in the book she suggests that people trying to change stigmatizing terms is a futile endeavor, such as getting people to stop using the r-word or to stop describing gay people using the f-slur. I found this comment so insensitive and lacking of any nuance for systems of power and how those terms have been used explicitly to oppress marginalized groups, not just to call a phenomenon by a different name. At another point she states that schizoid people are often thin which means that they are removed from their own greed. This statement struck me as offensive because it implies that fat people are greedy, which is fatphobic. Third, she references Freud and hysteria a lot without really naming the sexism Freud enacts. She makes a defense of Freud and argues that Freud actually tried to empower women, and even if her argument possessed some merit, I think naming the damage he has done in regard to pathologizing women and also just the way the term hysteria came about to demean women would have been important.
I’m also unsure how I feel about saying that people’s personalities are depressive, schizoid, borderline, etc. as opposed to acknowledging that people can have depression, have borderline personality disorder, etc. Basically, I feel like in some ways this form of diagnosis implies that people are their disorders or their mental health diagnoses, which may be stigmatizing, even if some can take comfort in acknowledging what they are dealing with. From my experience working in this field I also felt that people often experience components from each of these overarching personality areas as opposed to falling neatly into one of them. Though McWilliams I think suggests that people may inhabit more than one personality area, the framework she uses in this book may lead to binary conceptualizations of clients if not utilized with nuance.
Overall an interesting book that I will take some insights from even though I’m not primarily a psychoanalytic or psychodynamic therapist. Yay for my first read of 2020 and onto the next.
I think two areas of this book left me wanting more. First, I found sociocultural awareness lacking in this book in several ways. I wrote down around five to ten examples but just to provide a few: for example, early on in the book she suggests that people trying to change stigmatizing terms is a futile endeavor, such as getting people to stop using the r-word or to stop describing gay people using the f-slur. I found this comment so insensitive and lacking of any nuance for systems of power and how those terms have been used explicitly to oppress marginalized groups, not just to call a phenomenon by a different name. At another point she states that schizoid people are often thin which means that they are removed from their own greed. This statement struck me as offensive because it implies that fat people are greedy, which is fatphobic. Third, she references Freud and hysteria a lot without really naming the sexism Freud enacts. She makes a defense of Freud and argues that Freud actually tried to empower women, and even if her argument possessed some merit, I think naming the damage he has done in regard to pathologizing women and also just the way the term hysteria came about to demean women would have been important.
I’m also unsure how I feel about saying that people’s personalities are depressive, schizoid, borderline, etc. as opposed to acknowledging that people can have depression, have borderline personality disorder, etc. Basically, I feel like in some ways this form of diagnosis implies that people are their disorders or their mental health diagnoses, which may be stigmatizing, even if some can take comfort in acknowledging what they are dealing with. From my experience working in this field I also felt that people often experience components from each of these overarching personality areas as opposed to falling neatly into one of them. Though McWilliams I think suggests that people may inhabit more than one personality area, the framework she uses in this book may lead to binary conceptualizations of clients if not utilized with nuance.
Overall an interesting book that I will take some insights from even though I’m not primarily a psychoanalytic or psychodynamic therapist. Yay for my first read of 2020 and onto the next.
May 6, 2020
As a training psychiatrist, I will summarize my analysis of this clinical compendium of personality structure through a clinical lens as follows:
Aghhhhhhhhhhhhh 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍💯💯💯💯💛💛💛🌈🌈🌈🌈🏆🏆🏆🥇🥇🥇🥇💯
Aghhhhhhhhhhhhh 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍💯💯💯💯💛💛💛🌈🌈🌈🌈🏆🏆🏆🥇🥇🥇🥇💯
November 27, 2010
I read this book to learn more about bipolar as I have a friend with this diagnosis. This book was recommended to me by another friend and I was glad I could get my hands on it.
Its written in professional language and sometimes it was hard to understand some things, because I'm not a doctor and psychology is just something of an interest of mine.
But it answered all my questions. It is a very interesting reading, but be prepared to what you might find out, the author just puts the info out there as this book is meant for professionals.
I really liked the way the book is structured. It not only gives you the description of the outer signs of the diagnosis, but it also gives you the idea of inner life of the person with that diagnosis. Scary.
After I finished reading about bipolar, I couldn't help myself and read the rest of the book.
And then I read it again, this time with a highlighter and markers.
A great read. I will definitely be rereading it from time to time.
By the way, after reading this book I talked to a friend of mine, who is a practicing psychiatrist, to see if I understood the information right and to my surprise (I did mention its kinda hard to understand some things in the book) everything I read I understood spot on.
It didn't make me feel better though as bipolar is a scary diagnosis, but at least now I understand what my friend is going through on daily basis and can if not help, but ease some of his pain or at least make it easier for him to go through what he's going through.
Its written in professional language and sometimes it was hard to understand some things, because I'm not a doctor and psychology is just something of an interest of mine.
But it answered all my questions. It is a very interesting reading, but be prepared to what you might find out, the author just puts the info out there as this book is meant for professionals.
I really liked the way the book is structured. It not only gives you the description of the outer signs of the diagnosis, but it also gives you the idea of inner life of the person with that diagnosis. Scary.
After I finished reading about bipolar, I couldn't help myself and read the rest of the book.
And then I read it again, this time with a highlighter and markers.
A great read. I will definitely be rereading it from time to time.
By the way, after reading this book I talked to a friend of mine, who is a practicing psychiatrist, to see if I understood the information right and to my surprise (I did mention its kinda hard to understand some things in the book) everything I read I understood spot on.
It didn't make me feel better though as bipolar is a scary diagnosis, but at least now I understand what my friend is going through on daily basis and can if not help, but ease some of his pain or at least make it easier for him to go through what he's going through.
August 8, 2025
One read on this is pointless, but there is no need to worry. I suspect I will have something to say about the book on my third or fourth read.
July 17, 2025
یکی از بهترین کتابهایی که در مسیر تبدیل شدن به یک بالینگر روانپویشی خوندم. (ترجمهی افتضاح)
July 26, 2021
Unexpected turn in my summer 2021 reading plan. One of those 'why not give it a try' books. Worth every minute of it.
August 19, 2026
Mi santo grial
July 30, 2018
Labai verta skaityti visiems, kurių darbas tiesiogiai susijęs su pagalba kitam žmogui. Gali padėti geriau suprasti, kodėl žmonės kartais elgiasi taip mums neįprastai ir įgauti daugiau empatijos visų (įskaitant ir save patį) atžvilgiu. Diagnozuoti visų iš eilės po to nepatarčiau (nebent išsilavinimas leidžia)
December 31, 2021
Wow. This (for a book that's only available in the reference section of my public library!) was SUCH a pleasure to read...and extremely clarifying.
I wish I had read this much earlier, as it elucidated a lot of things that were confusing to me about certain psychoanalytic terms and concepts, and really brought them to life for me.
I particularly appreciated McWilliams's combination of warmth, humor, wit, compassion, and nuance in addressing extremely difficult topics.
One thing I thought was particular interesting was her note on terminology. I almost want to quote the whole section here, but as a "taste" (my bolds):
As a woman, I certainly had a lot of trouble with digesting psychoanalytic work that used terms like "hysteria" and "histrionic" seriously, but now see things with a slightly different light (though I'm still aware of how all of this sounds to newcomers to psychoanalysis, which is often, Not Good).
I still think it's better to be considerate about using preferred words when we can, but this long view of the situation really changed my perspective, and helped me understand why those in older generations seem find efforts to say the "right" things excessive... as they might have been though several iterations of this already (though of course, it isn't always about that).
Anyways, throughout this book, I was really impressed with the combination of her scholastic dedication (y'all, I "finished" reading this book at 53%... and the rest of the book were references + indices—even her "Suggestions for Further Reading" sections had wonderful takes on how readable and clear or concise (or otherwise) certain works are)... and, once again, her nuanced and compassionate take on psychopathology and the suffering of other humans. She is always centering her work on understanding the inner experiences of patients, and I so appreciate that. (See below)
This text was scholarly, illuminating, and enjoyable to read and just... full of humanity. My jaw is still partially on the floor from reading McWilliams's admissions of her early therapeutic blunders with patients. Her vulnerability in sharing these things (of course, with patients disguised) really helped to communicate important concepts.
I mean, this gem right here, she writes after explaining that her supervisor had strongly warned against being lenient with certain classes of patients:
Thank you Nancy McWilliams for writing this tome and lighting the path. I have a feeling I'll be coming back to this one.
...
I wish I had read this much earlier, as it elucidated a lot of things that were confusing to me about certain psychoanalytic terms and concepts, and really brought them to life for me.
I particularly appreciated McWilliams's combination of warmth, humor, wit, compassion, and nuance in addressing extremely difficult topics.
One thing I thought was particular interesting was her note on terminology. I almost want to quote the whole section here, but as a "taste" (my bolds):
Language that was invented to be simply descriptive—in fact, invented to replace previous value-laden words—develops an evaluative cast and is applied, especially by lay people, in ways that pathologize. Certain topics seem inherently unsettling to human beings, and however carefully we try to talk about them in nonjudgmental language, the words we use to do so attain a pejorative tone over the years.
Today’s “antisocial personality disorder,” as a case in point, was in 1835 termed “moral insanity.” Later it became “psychopathy,” then “sociopathy.” Each change was intended to give a descriptive, noncensorious label to a disturbing phenomenon. Yet the power of that phenomenon to disturb eventually contaminated each word that was invented to keep the concept out of the realm of moralization. Something similar occurred in the successive transformations of “inversion” to “deviation” to “homosexuality” to being “gay” to being “queer,” and yet people who are bothered by same-sex erotics still use the terms “gay” and “queer” to devalue. It will probably happen with the shift from “retarded” to “developmentally challenged.” Any phenomenon that tends to trouble people, for whatever reason, seems to instigate this futile chasing after nonstigmatizing language.
[...] One outcome of this doomed project to sanitize language is that the older a psychological tradition is, the more negative, judgmental, and quaint its terminology sounds. The swift consumption, distortion, and prejudicial application of psychoanalytic terms, within the mental health professions and outside them, have been a bane of the psychodynamic tradition.
McWilliams, Nancy. Psychoanalytic Diagnosis, Second Edition (p. 2). Guilford Publications. Kindle Edition.
As a woman, I certainly had a lot of trouble with digesting psychoanalytic work that used terms like "hysteria" and "histrionic" seriously, but now see things with a slightly different light (though I'm still aware of how all of this sounds to newcomers to psychoanalysis, which is often, Not Good).
I still think it's better to be considerate about using preferred words when we can, but this long view of the situation really changed my perspective, and helped me understand why those in older generations seem find efforts to say the "right" things excessive... as they might have been though several iterations of this already (though of course, it isn't always about that).
Anyways, throughout this book, I was really impressed with the combination of her scholastic dedication (y'all, I "finished" reading this book at 53%... and the rest of the book were references + indices—even her "Suggestions for Further Reading" sections had wonderful takes on how readable and clear or concise (or otherwise) certain works are)... and, once again, her nuanced and compassionate take on psychopathology and the suffering of other humans. She is always centering her work on understanding the inner experiences of patients, and I so appreciate that. (See below)
My own understanding of dissociation is still developing, and I suspect that much of what I say here will eventually be revised. It is less important to decide which experts to believe than to try to comprehend what patients experience.
McWilliams, Nancy. Psychoanalytic Diagnosis, Second Edition (p. 338). Guilford Publications. Kindle Edition.
This text was scholarly, illuminating, and enjoyable to read and just... full of humanity. My jaw is still partially on the floor from reading McWilliams's admissions of her early therapeutic blunders with patients. Her vulnerability in sharing these things (of course, with patients disguised) really helped to communicate important concepts.
I mean, this gem right here, she writes after explaining that her supervisor had strongly warned against being lenient with certain classes of patients:
As I seem to be constitutionally incapable of taking good advice until I make the mistake that illuminates its wisdom, I disregarded his warning [...]
McWilliams, Nancy. Psychoanalytic Diagnosis, Second Edition (p. 282). Guilford Publications. Kindle Edition.
Thank you Nancy McWilliams for writing this tome and lighting the path. I have a feeling I'll be coming back to this one.
...
January 1, 2023
The saddest thing to happen was accidentally deleting all my notes :( the book is brilliant!
October 5, 2020
Daha önce tanı koymanın danışanın ne düzeyde 'anormal' veya kriterlere ne kadar uygun olduğunu belirlemekten ibaret olmadığını, bütün bir terapi yolculuğunu etkileyen ilk adım olduğunu bu kadar net olarak anlatan bir kitap okumadım.
Özellikle Depresif, Şizoid ve Obsesif-Kompulsif kişiliklerin anlatıldığı kısımlar çok çok başarılıydı, yazarın terimlere boğmaktan özellikle kaçındığı dilinin de bu başarıda etkisi olduğunu düşünüyorum.
İsminde 'Psikanalitik' ibaresi geçtiğinden ve psikanaliz pek benimsediğim bir yaklaşım olmadığından dolayı biraz tereddütle başlamıştım, fakat bildik psikanaliz katılığından çok daha esnek, çok daha çağdaş bir yerden anlatılmıştı, bu anlamda benimle aynı tereddüdü taşıyan okurlar olursa diye belirtmek istedim.
Özellikle Depresif, Şizoid ve Obsesif-Kompulsif kişiliklerin anlatıldığı kısımlar çok çok başarılıydı, yazarın terimlere boğmaktan özellikle kaçındığı dilinin de bu başarıda etkisi olduğunu düşünüyorum.
İsminde 'Psikanalitik' ibaresi geçtiğinden ve psikanaliz pek benimsediğim bir yaklaşım olmadığından dolayı biraz tereddütle başlamıştım, fakat bildik psikanaliz katılığından çok daha esnek, çok daha çağdaş bir yerden anlatılmıştı, bu anlamda benimle aynı tereddüdü taşıyan okurlar olursa diye belirtmek istedim.
January 14, 2024
I don't nessecarily agree with everything in this book and I often think that this form of diagnosis is outdated. However, McWilliams is humble, considerate of complexities and nuance, intuitive and insightful in her writing. Admittedly, she writes from her own experience, both personally and with clients. I found her clinical insights and narratives helpful and I loved the chapter that broke down the psychological defenses. I've always loved Anna Freud and McWilliams interpretations really bring them to life.
March 8, 2020
A brilliant book that sheds light on the different personality structures and personality disorders from a psychodynamic perspective. While it has definitely helped me understand my patients at least a little bit more, it still made me intensely feel like I still need A LOT more experience -perhaps even more than knowledge- before I can truly begin to emotionally comprehend this book and the patients' inner worlds. I'll probably come back to this book and its suggested reading lists and references very often, with the hope that it will guide me in my attempts to explore these worlds and develop better therapeutic approaches.
October 25, 2019
I love Nancy’s writing style. It is completely accessible to clinicians and those not in the field. She takes care to define the context of her thinking and how she defines important diagnostic labels. This is THE reading that helped me solidify my understanding of organization of functioning (differentiating between neurotic, borderline, and psychotic). It just didn’t click until her explanation. I read the 1994 edition and the chapter on paranoia is extremely dated regarding same-sex relationships and I wonder if the 2011 is less pathologizing.
February 29, 2024
Really excellent clinical primer on working with personality adaptations through a psychoanalytic/psychodynamic lens that is well supplemented by Elinor Greenberg’s book “Borderline, Narcissistic and Schizoid Adaptations: The Pursuit of Love, Admiration and Safety.” Even if you don’t conceptualize cases through personality structure or diagnosis, it’s invaluable to blend some of this with other styles. I love the honesty and vulnerability both McWilliams and Greenberg show in their books when sharing their own thoughts. My book is filled with highlighting.
March 1, 2020
Un libro imprescindibile per ogni terapeuta di formazione analitica (e non). Scritto in maniera chiara e scorrevole, è un tipico testo di consultazione (che però io ho letto dall'inizio alla fine). Mi ha chiarito numerosi dubbi e lacune, soprattutto perché la mia conoscenza delle patologie era più da DSM. Il costo è notevole ma ne vale la pena!
May 24, 2026
"All of us learn soon enough, from the unpredictable nuances of each therapy relationship into which we extend ourselves, how pale are even our most elegant and satisfying formulations next to the mystery that is human nature." (p. 4)
Thoughts:
• I rarely come across a textbook I can't put down (for non- deadline related reasons) and I feel like I'll combust if I don't say something about it. I've been dragging this one around with me everywhere and bunch of people at work have been hyping me up to finish it. It definitely lives up to the hype and it's already had an impact on my case formulation. It's also just really freaking interesting. Lately I've felt a bit of tiredness creeping in and a vague sense of stagnation, but this has given me some fresh perspective.
• The first half of the text provides an approachable overview of concepts e.g. developmental levels and defensive processes (good enough for a BSW to understand!) and the second half focuses on specific character types. The structure is solid. For each 'type', there's an overview of drive/affect/temperament, defensive and adaptive processes, relational patterns, the self, transference and countertransference (helpful), therapeutic implications (very helpful), and differential diagnosis (super helpful).
• This book made me reflect on language and terminology I've internalised from study/work/culture at large. I initially felt a bit uncomfortable about the categories of 'hysterical' and 'masochistic' but McWilliams clarifies her meaning well. Without intentionally clinging to the medical model, I've somehow managed to default to thinking about pathology from a DSM lens (I guess working in community MH will do that to a person) - e.g. 'narcissism' as NPD (a specific disorder) and 'borderline' as BPD (rather than a level of personality organisation). So in that sense this was a challenging read, I had to constantly check my own expectations and assumptions to take this for what it is.
• I don't entirely agree with all of McWilliams' conclusions (a few minor things here and there) and there are some things I don't quite understand yet, but I really admire her tone. There's a measured humility in her words, a willingness to admit that she might not be 100% right and to rethink her ideas with the advancement of research and discourse. She also seems to genuinely care about the subjective experiences of clients, which is refreshing.
Thoughts:
• I rarely come across a textbook I can't put down (for non- deadline related reasons) and I feel like I'll combust if I don't say something about it. I've been dragging this one around with me everywhere and bunch of people at work have been hyping me up to finish it. It definitely lives up to the hype and it's already had an impact on my case formulation. It's also just really freaking interesting. Lately I've felt a bit of tiredness creeping in and a vague sense of stagnation, but this has given me some fresh perspective.
• The first half of the text provides an approachable overview of concepts e.g. developmental levels and defensive processes (good enough for a BSW to understand!) and the second half focuses on specific character types. The structure is solid. For each 'type', there's an overview of drive/affect/temperament, defensive and adaptive processes, relational patterns, the self, transference and countertransference (helpful), therapeutic implications (very helpful), and differential diagnosis (super helpful).
• This book made me reflect on language and terminology I've internalised from study/work/culture at large. I initially felt a bit uncomfortable about the categories of 'hysterical' and 'masochistic' but McWilliams clarifies her meaning well. Without intentionally clinging to the medical model, I've somehow managed to default to thinking about pathology from a DSM lens (I guess working in community MH will do that to a person) - e.g. 'narcissism' as NPD (a specific disorder) and 'borderline' as BPD (rather than a level of personality organisation). So in that sense this was a challenging read, I had to constantly check my own expectations and assumptions to take this for what it is.
• I don't entirely agree with all of McWilliams' conclusions (a few minor things here and there) and there are some things I don't quite understand yet, but I really admire her tone. There's a measured humility in her words, a willingness to admit that she might not be 100% right and to rethink her ideas with the advancement of research and discourse. She also seems to genuinely care about the subjective experiences of clients, which is refreshing.
July 1, 2025
page-turner
October 5, 2013
In an era devoted to phenomenological diagnosis (listing observable symptoms), how refreshing it is to find a book like this which helps to explain what actually causes those symptoms so you know what to treat! A list of symptoms tells us what the problem is but not what causes those symptoms, what we actually have to treat in psychotherapy. McWilliams does a wonderful job helping the reader understand the patterns of human behavior that generate different symptom pictures. Further, she shows how to talk to and help patients who suffer from those automatic patterns of behavior called character structure. She distill complicated theory into a usable and readable format from which any therapist can readily benefit. This book will deepen the thinking and refine the responsiveness of therapists from any theoretical orientation. Co-Creating Change: Effective Dynamic Therapy Techniques
July 7, 2015
Nancy McWilliams'ın Psikanalitik Tanı adlı kitabı özetle bir kitap değil, bir okul. Kişilik yapısı sınıflandırmasında psikanalitik yaklaşıma dair müthiş bir giriş düzey kitabı. Okuyucuyu teorik bilgiye boğmadan, yılların deneyiminin içinden süzülmüş ayırıcı tanıya yönelik ipuçlarıyla dolu, bir psikoterapistin her danışanına özgü benimsemesi gereken doğru teknik duruşu net bir şekilde anlatan başucu kitaplarından. Ayrıca türkçe baskısının son derece iyi bir çeviri olduğunu söyleyebilirim ve çeviride emeği geçen herkese ve Erkan Kalem'e okuyucu olarak teşekkür ederim.
September 17, 2020
This book is a treasure trove of concepts and ways of understanding the not always logical human mind. And has a warm tone of voice throughout. A bit surprised at how seriously the connection to one’s butt (anal) is taken. The take on hysteric women is also anachronistic, it belongs in the age of cave men, and definitely not in 1996. How can swearing and/or crying while wearing a skirt still be a diagnosis in 2020 (under DSM-V)? However, the book is so rich in empathetic insights that it’s definitely worth reading even if you don’t agree on all of it.
May 29, 2017
While I may not agree with many aspects of this book, I do recognize that individuals lead with certain personality traits -- and understanding your own individual traits, and learning to recognize the traits of others, is the beginning of personal connection and communication. Good leaders are able to recognize and communicate with each personality trait.
February 5, 2024
This feels like a must read for anyone working in a mental health setting. Accessible language and incredibly informative, especially helpful for conceptualization.
May 1, 2026
Amazing primer on psychodynamics. I did so much underlining. Attempts to integrated neuroscience was nice, but a little cursory. Pathogenesis at times felt a little out there. Some of the personality structure chapters seemed a little repetitive, but I think this is forgivable given the scope of the book and it is probably better read as a guide to the PDM/DSM as opposed to reading it in order.
Also… surprisingly humanistic.
Also… surprisingly humanistic.
June 26, 2026
Practising psycho-anything without having read this book would amount to working with some real blind spots, I think. Great insight into the internal dynamics of personality styles - a very welcome step beyond externally observable symptoms in medical diagnostic criteria.
One suprising thing is that the book doesn’t discuss a “borderline personality”. Rather, it construes it as a level of functioning that can sit on any personality structure, instead of being a discrete personality style. Seems a bit odd given the distinct affective space, relational patterns, central conflicts etc. But it’s also very fitting that it is BPD that caretakers consistently can’t seem to agree about.
One suprising thing is that the book doesn’t discuss a “borderline personality”. Rather, it construes it as a level of functioning that can sit on any personality structure, instead of being a discrete personality style. Seems a bit odd given the distinct affective space, relational patterns, central conflicts etc. But it’s also very fitting that it is BPD that caretakers consistently can’t seem to agree about.
August 2, 2026
Läste majoriteten förra året. Glömt att lägga in. För en ”integrativt” tränad kommer denna boken med mycket nytt. Öppnar för alternativa perspektiv att betrakta personlighetsdiagnostik på. Tycker att förklaringarna som ges här är betydligt mer tillfredsställande än DSMs kriterier. Gillade också delarna som gick igenom terapeutiskt förhållningssätt. Undrar dock om mycket av denna bok kommer bli mer obsolet i och med den dimensionella klassificering av personlighetsproblematik som gör sitt inträde med ICD-11. Oavsett är den klart användbar som ett uppslagsverk att bläddra i lite då och då. Definitivt en en bok alla som sysslar med diagnostik borde läsa.
August 15, 2026
Tää oli ehkä eka kerta, kun luin vapaaehtoisesti uudestaan jonkun työhön liittyvän kirjan (lol). Luin tän ihan työuran alussa, eli noin 7 vuotta sitten, ja nyt sit uudestaan. Harvoin tulee vastaan kirjoja, jotka on samanaikaisesti kliinisesti hyödyllisiä mutta myös niin kansantajuisesti kirjotettuja, että jaksoin lukea tän loppuun kesälomalla ja aivoihin ei ees sattunu paljoo.
September 18, 2018
I read this book to get more knowledge about different types of psychological disorders.
This book was recommended at the Personality Profiling training.
This book was recommended at the Personality Profiling training.
May 7, 2026
Omg almost a full year 😵💫 this was a journey that I learned SO much from. Thank you Nancy McWilliams!
July 6, 2023
Absolute must-read for a psychotherapist!
McWilliams’s extensive knowledge and experience, combined with her warm tone, makes this book both a treasure trove of information and actually pleasurable to read :)
I wish I could memorize every single page, but since that’s not possible, I know I will have to frequently come back and re-read chapters.
McWilliams’s extensive knowledge and experience, combined with her warm tone, makes this book both a treasure trove of information and actually pleasurable to read :)
I wish I could memorize every single page, but since that’s not possible, I know I will have to frequently come back and re-read chapters.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 181 reviews