How much of our identity or 'self' is truly representative of our own
wants, needs, and goals in life and how much does it reflect the desires
and priorities of someone else? Are we following our own destiny or are
we unconsciously repeating the lives of our parents, living according to
their values, ideals, and beliefs? In this thought-provoking book, noted
clinical psychologist Robert Firestone and his co-authors explore the
struggle that all of us face in striving to retain a sense of ourselves
as unique individuals. The self is under siege from several sources:
primarily pain and rejection in the developmental years, problems in
relationships, detrimental societal forces, and existential realities
that affect all people.
Through numerous case studies and personal stories from men and women
who participated in a 35-year observational study, the authors
illustrate how voice therapy, a cognitive/affective/behavioral
methodology pioneered by Firestone, is used to elicit, identify, and
challenge the destructive inner voice and to change aversive behaviors
based on its prescriptions. The theory they describe integrates the
psychodynamic and existential approaches underlying voice therapy and is
enriched by research findings in the neurosciences, attachment research,
and terror management theory (TMT).
An important addition to the area of personality development theory,
The Self under Siege offers a new perspective on differentiation and
the battle to separate ourselves from the chains of the past. It
provides psychotherapists and other mental health professionals with the
tools needed to help clients differentiate from the dysfunctional
attitudes and toxic personality traits of their parents, other family
members, and harmful societal influences that have unconsciously
dominated their lives. This book will have a special appeal to clients
and, in fact, to any person interested in his/her own personal
development
