The Uninvited Guest:

Emerging from Narcissism Towards Marriage in Psychoanalytic Therapy With Couples

James Fisher

ISBN-10: 1855751968
ISBN-13: 978-1855751965

Book Description
A fascinating and imaginative book combining psychoanalytic theory and literature - in particular classic plays about marriage and married couples - to help couples therapists as they piece together their clients' histories and stories during the therapeutic process. A profound yet accessible guide of interest to clinicians and non-clinicians alike.

Review
Marriage under Siege
Sam Vaknin, author of "Malignant Self Love - Narcissism Revisited".

"The author rightly posits narcissism and marriage as poles, demarcating a road to be travelled. "From narcissism towards marriage" is about this road taken by couples in anguish. The pathological narcissism of one of the members of the dyad almost invariably destbailizes the marriage and leads to painful disintegration. What makes matters worse is the incomprehensibility and arbitrariness of this disorder. The author does a fine job of deciphering narcissism and delineating its pernicious and all-pervasive penetration of every nook and cranny of the couple's life. The book is full of literary case studies and real life examples. The only problem is its bias and, therefore, its limited scope. It is a book about one specific type of marital therapy. Narcissism is not amenable to this kind of therapy (or to any other psychodynamic therapy). It reacts better to cognitive-behavioural therapy. But, otherwise, it is an enriching and enlightening tome."