Psychological Defenses in Everyday Life

Psychological Defenses in Everyday Life is a rich resource that broadens personal understanding by examining the origins of childhood pain, subsequent defense formation, and the pervasiveness and destructiveness of resulting maladaptive, addictive behaviors in adults. The authors point a way toward reversing the damaging process that keeps individuals from experiencing genuine satisfaction. The clarity and empathic tone of the book make it a valuable adjunct to psychotherapy. Many clinicians have recommended it to their patients to enhance their understanding of the defense system.

In Psychological Defenses in Everyday Life, Dr. Robert W. Firestone shares the wisdom and compassion of his thirty years as a clinical psychologist, expounding complex psychological theory in direct and illuminating prose. Important insights on the origins, pervasiveness, and destructiveness of the defensive process are set forth to elaborate upon both the pain and joy of human existence. The authors point the way toward reversing the damaging process that keeps an in- dividual from experiencing genuine satisfaction while maintaining feelings of com- passion for oneself and others. Numerous case histories show how people ultimately reject love and companionship with their mates and families for an imag- ined connection or an illusion of security. Psychological Defenses in Everyday Life is a rich source of information and enlighten- ment for broadening our understanding of ourselves, and enabling change toward positive, constructive behaviors. The book clearly demonstrates that: "people can achieve a richer, more meaningful life by facing the reality of social pressures, their defenses, and the reality of finite existence. —Library Journal

Robert W. Firestone Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist, author and artist, who has established a comprehensive body of written work and film focused on understanding how defenses are formed and how they impact human behavior and personal relationships. The primary emphasis of Dr. Firestone’s theory has centered on the study of resistance in psychotherapy. From his initial work as a psychotherapist with schizophrenic patients under the auspices of Dr. John N. Rosen, Dr. Firestone summarized his conceptualizations about schizophrenia in a theoretical dissertation entitled “A Concept of the Schizophrenic Process,” (University of Denver Doctoral Dissertation, 1957). Dr. Firestone was engaged in the private practice of psychotherapy from 1957 to 1979 working with a wide range of patients, expanding his original ideas on schizophrenia, and applying these concepts to a theory of neurosis. In 1979, he joined the Glendon Association as its consulting theorist. Dr. Firestone’s major publications include The Fantasy Bond, Compassionate Child-Rearing, Fear of Intimacy, and Beyond Death Anxiety: Life-Affirming Death Awareness. Dr. Firestone’s studies of negative thought processes led to the development of an innovative therapeutic methodology described in Voice Therapy, Suicide and the Inner Voice, Combating Destructive Thought Processes, Creating a Life of Meaning and Compassion: The Wisdom of Psychotherapy, Sex and Love in Intimate Relationships, The Ethics of Interpersonal Relationships, and most recently The Self under Siege. In collaboration with his daughter, Dr. Lisa Firestone, he has developed three assessment instruments: The Firestone Assessment of Self-Destructive Thoughts [FAST], The Firestone Assessment of Suicide Intent [FASI] (2006) and the Firestone Assessment of Violent Thoughts [FAVT] (2008) (Adult and Adolescent versions (2009, Psychological Assessment Resources, PAR).