Narcissist, Boderline, Manic Depressive

Three essays on three distinct character types: the narcissist, the boderline, and the manic depressive. This is not to suggest that all borderlines, narcissists or manic depressives are the same. Each one is an individual with different and distinct experiences. What each person has in common is a typical relation between their subjectivity and the world they inhabit. In other words, Christopher Bollas has identified the axioms that these individuals share.

Following a discussion of te features of the particular type, the axioms are delivered in the character’s own voice. By placing ourselves within the character’s own logic, we can begin to identify and empathise with the narcissist, the borderline, and the manic depressive. At the root of all character disorders, there is mental pain and each disorder is an intelligent attempt to solve an existential problem. If the clinician can grasp the specific intelligence and communicate this to the analysand, then a natural process of healing can begin.

Three characters is a masterclass based on decades of lectures presented to psychoanalysts, analytical psychologists, and psychotherapists, and is a must-read for all psychoanalytic enthusiasts.