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“Singer has written a remarkable book. It is readable and rich in theory, research, and clinical examples. Based in a contemporary psychodynamic orientation, the author reaches back to the 'masters' of psychoanalysis (Freud, Adler, Klein, Horney, Erikson, and Frankl) and adds an empirical component that makes the work shine. He integrates the works of Bandura, Mahoney, Linehan, Luborsky, Crits-Cristoph, Mischel, and others to make this volume a meeting ground for psychodynamic and behaviorally oriented therapists.”

—Arthur Freeman, EdD, ABPP, Behavioral Science Book Service Advisory Board member


“Once upon a time, psychologists dreamed they could be healers and scientists at the same time, but the dream was lost. In this boldly integrative and beautifully written book, Jefferson Singer shows how a person-based psychology can restore the dream and bring out the best of what modern personality research and enlightened clinical practice have to offer. This landmark volume offers a new vision for 21st-century psychology—a vision which, like the book itself, is rigorous, empathic, and deeply committed to exploring the mysteries of a person's life.”

—Dan P. McAdams, PhD, Department of Psychology and Foley Center for the Study of Lives, Northwestern University


“This elegantly written volume brings psychology back to its rightful home: the study and appreciation of the whole person. It creatively integrates objective and interpretive methods and laboratory and clinical findings to fashion a full-blooded psychology of the individual. Of equal significance, the author expertly applies this knowledge to the understanding and treatment of individuals and couples in psychotherapy. Students and practitioners, whether novice or experienced, will be greatly rewarded by reading this compelling book.”

—Stanley B. Messer, PhD, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey


“Bravo to Jefferson Singer! This is the text I wish my graduate students and clinical supervisees had been assigned as undergraduates: a profoundly synthetic, mature work integrating science and practice. Written gracefully, and including riveting case material, the book is as engrossing as a good novel. It will be of great value to students of personality, clinicians, psychologists in the personological tradition, and anyone else with a passion to understand the complex phenomenon that is individual psychology. Singer's book has profound implications for practicing psychotherapy—and, for that matter, for living the examined life.”

—Nancy McWilliams, PhD, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey


“In the clinic, laboratory, and in his writings over two decades, Jefferson Singer has illustrated how personal strivings and autobiographical memories are woven together into stories and other narratives that define a person's sense of him or herself. These construals reveal critically important issues in counseling and therapy. They also are of great importance to the study of personality and social psychology, as their exploration represents an alternative to the 'trait' approach in studying individual uniqueness in social contexts. Challenging the current reductionist zeitgeist, this beautifully written book represents the very best in the study of the human personality.”

—Peter Salovey, PhD, Department of Psychology, Yale University

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. Domain 1—Traits

3. Domain 2—Characteristic Adaptations: Personal Strivings and Defenses

4. Domain 3—Narrative Identity: Life Stories and Self-Defining Memories

5. Relational Dynamics

6. Foundations and Principles of a Person-Based Psychology and Psychotherapy

7. Case Study of a Person-Based Therapy

Appendix A. Contact Information for Obtaining Instruments Referred to in This Volume

Appendix B. The Historical Roots of a Person-Based Psychology

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About the Author

Jefferson A. Singer, PhD, is a professor of psychology at Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut, and is a clinical psychologist with a private practice in Waterford, Connecticut. He has written two previous books, The Remembered Self: Emotion and Memory in Personality (with Peter Salovey) and Message in a Bottle: Stories of Men and Addiction, as well as numerous articles, chapters, and reviews on clinical psychology and personality and memory. Dr. Singer is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, past associate editor of the Journal of Personality, and is the 2005 recipient of the Theodore R. Sarbin Award for Theoretical Contributions to Psychology, presented by Division 24 (Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology) of the American Psychological Association.

• Author's website

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Audience

Psychotherapists from a range of backgrounds, including clinical psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists, and family therapists; personality and social psychologists; students in these areas.

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Course Use

Serves as a text in graduate-level courses in psychotherapy, clinical assessment, personality assessment, personality psychology, and humanistic psychology.