Overview

Though references to it are scattered in the writings of Klein and Winnicott, the topic of greed has drawn meagre attention from contemporary psychoanalysts. This book fills that lacuna. Noting that the inconsolable, relentless, and coercive dimensions of such hunger have profoundly destructive impact upon the self and its objects, Greed: Developmental, Cultural, and Clinical Realms sheds light on the emotion's myriad manifestations as well as its camouflage by the ego's defensive operations. Issues of childhood deprivation, adolescent novelty-seeking, and clinging to the object-world toward the end of life are examined. The avarice that prevails in today's business world is discussed, as is the deleterious impact of greed upon marital relations. More to the clinician's interest, the book highlights the various ways in which greed makes its appearance during treatment, taking into account the tabooed topic of the analyst's own greed for money, prestige, and intellectual prowess. A remarkable contribution, indeed!

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9781782202554

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Reviews

'This superbly edited volume explores greed within the microcosms of psychoanalytic situations of both patients and analysts, as well as within the context of contemporary society at large. Hardly addressed by Freud, greed drew the attention of Klein who placed its destructive potential within the centrality of infantile experience, and Winnicott who discerned the robust health in greed and its seemingly abhorrent manifestations. This exceptional contemporary volume by Akhtar and fellow psychoanalysts not only explicates the tensions between these polarities but also tackles the wide-ranging phenomena related to greed in the psychoanalytic depth they deserve.'-- Jaswant Guzder, MD, Professor, McGill Faculty of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, and Associate at the McGill Faculty of Social Work'If you thought greed meant just wanting too much, you will be astounded, reading this book, at the psychological richness of greed's manifestations and causes. The examples collected by Salman Akhtar and his contributors include the 'primal greed' to possess women that appears in men's sexual fantasies; 'anticipatory greed' which occurs in teenage girls' icon-crushes; and greed in relation to time management and end-of-life attitudes. In this book you will experience a modern, theoretical romp through greed in the psychotherapeutic situation. If you are greedy for new, useful knowledge, you will thoroughly enjoy this superb compilation.'-- Jerome S. Blackman, MD, DFAPA, FACPsa, Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Eastern Virginia Medical School; Training Analyst, Contemporary Freudian Society, Washington, DC

Author Information

Salman Akhtar, MD, was born in India and completed his medical and psychiatric education there. Upon arriving in the USA in 1973, he repeated his psychiatric training at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, and then obtained psychoanalytic training from the Philadelphia Psychoanalytic Institute. Currently, he is Professor of Psychiatry at Jefferson Medical College and a training and supervising analyst at the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia. He has authored, edited or co-edited more than 300 publications including books on psychiatry and psychoanalysis and several collections of poetry. He is also a Scholar-in-Residence at the Inter-Act Theatre Company in Philadelphia. Salman Akhtar received the Sigourney Award in 2012.

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