Self Within Marriage combines the theoretical orientations of object-relations theory, self psychology, and systems theory as a way of understanding and working with couples and individuals whose relationship and emotional difficulties have centered on the common conundrum of balancing individuality and intimacy. Based on detailed case examples and couple therapy techniques, Self Within Marriage provides individual and couple therapists with a refreshing new framework for working with clients and for helping them understand who they are as individuals and as partners.

Reviews

"This book will enrich your understanding of marriage, as it has mine, and will enable you to carry a newly enlarged understanding into the consulting room. It is destined to become a classic, enriching all students of marriage and intimate partnerships—seasoned therapist, teacher and student alike. Read it tonight: It will change your practice tomorrow!" - David E. Scharff, International Psychotherapy Institute, Maryland, USA, and author of Object Relations Couple Therapy and The Interpersonal Unconscious

"In this impressive new volume, Richard Zeitner breathes new life into object relations couples therapy. Scholarly yet accessible, the book will be of great value to both beginners and experienced therapists. Zeitner skillfully integrates one-person and twoperson psychologies using a pluralistic theoretical edifice that reflects the contemporary zeitgeist of psychoanalytic thought. Self Within Marriage is one of the freshest and most original contributions in the recent psychoanalytic literature." - Glen O. Gabbard, MD, professor of psychiatry and Brown Foundation Chair of Psychoanalysis at Baylor College of Medicine

"In this gem of a book, Richard Zeitner invites us to explore the interior world of couple relationships. A seasoned guide, he takes us on a journey that is rich with insight, vividly illustrating the complex terrain of the couple from the vantage points of object relationpsychology, systems and attachment theories. His quest is to discover the psychodynamic source of that often paradoxical entity we call ‘the couple,’ which causes so much pain and pleasure. What he provides is a road map that will be an invaluable resource for any therapist who is serious about helping couples who find themselves lost in familiar places." - Christopher Clulow, PhD, senior fellow at the Tavistock Centre for Couple Relationships, London, and vice chair of the British Society of Couple Psychotherapists and Counsellors

Contents

That Vital Balance: Being and Intimacy. The Incomplete Self. You Complete Me: Attachment as the Antidote. Marriage and Other Loving Partnerships: An Interface of Psychology, Biology, and Sociology. Functions of Sexuality in the Adult Partnership. The Centrality of the Selfdyad in the Dynamic Organization of the Couple. Context, Relationship Maintenance, and Refueling. When the Self Fails to Flourish. Introspection and its Enemies. Consideratio...