Affect Dysregulation and Disorders of the Self

Allan N. Schore

Praise for Affect Dysregulation and Disorders of the Self

“Allan Schore has become a heroic figure among many psychotherapists for his massive reviews of neuroscience that center on the patient-therapist relationship.”
—Daniel Goleman, author of Social Intelligence

"[I]ndividuals interested in neuroscientific correlates of early life experience and the development of psychopathological states, will find this valuable and interesting reading."

—Cognitive Therapy Book Reviews

"[A] very unique reference for clinicians who want to explore the theoretical underpinnings of these areas. It is an ambitious work written by a knowledgeable author."

—American Journal of Psychiatry

"The author's focus on the transaction between early childhood experience and the development of self-regulation (both biologically and behaviorally) helps it stand out from other works on this topic. I strongly recommend this book to the developmental scientist and/or practitioner who may be looking for a thoughtful, integrated approach to understanding the development of self-regulation."

—Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics

“Essential reading for all clinicians, researchers, law enforcement, and others involved in early prevention of violence in high-risk children, as well as general readers interested in normal and abnormal human development.”
—Family Violence & Sexual Assault Bulletin

“[P]rovocative and stimulating. . . . Schore's writing style is almost poetic. . . . I highly recommend this volume to researchers and clinicians.”
—Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry

 

Overview – Table of Contents

In 1994 Allan Schore published his groundbreaking book, Affect Regulation and the Origin of the Self, in which he integrated a large number of experimental and clinical studies from both the psychological and biological disciplines in order to construct an overarching model of social and emotional development. Since then he has expanded his regulation theory in more than two dozen articles and essays covering multiple disciplines, including neuroscience, psychiatry, psychoanalysis, developmental psychology, attachment, and trauma. These two volumes(Affect Regulation and Repair of the Self and Affect Dysregulation and Disorders of the Self) are the first presentation of his comprehensive theory in book form as it has developed since 1994.

Advance Acclaim for Affect Dysregulation and Disorders of the Self:

"This is an ambitious and wide-ranging extension of Dr. Schore's earlier work, Affect Regulation and the Origin of the Self. It incorporates the vast amount of data from neuroscience that has accrued since that earlier book, and paints a detailed picture of how the regulation of social and emotional behaviors emerges during the developmental interaction of an organism with its social environment. The book will be of great interest not only to those working in affective neuroscience, but also to clinicians and health care practitioners. In fact, it will be of interest to laypersons who want a better understanding of how genes, environment, and an infant's own behavior sculpt the way in which its brain processes emotions."
-Ralph Adolphs, Ph.D., Department of Neurology, The University of Iowa

"What is the nature of the self that it may become fragmented into an incomplete and pathological personality? From the pioneering studies in psychoanalysis to modern psychological research, a striking and difficult realization has been that the self is not an isolated structure, but a dynamic, self-organizing system that forms its foundation around early childhood interpersonal relations. Schore recognizes that, beginning in the first days of life, the development of the internalized self-regulatory processes of the self must occur through attentive parental guidance. .To identify the essential mechanisms of affective self-control, Schore conducts a remarkably complete survey of the modern psychology and neuroscience literatures. . . . This volume is a remarkable exercise in the scientific analysis of personality and its disorders."
-Donald Tucker, Professor of Psychology, University of Oregon and CEO, Chief Scientist, Electrical Geodesics, Inc., Eugene OR

"Schore's new book, Affect Dysregulation and Disorders of the Self, provides the much-needed understanding on how the growth of brain and self are intertwined within the context of relationships. His magnificent integration of research on attachment and developmental neuroscience demonstrates how we fundamentally mature and thrive in pairs and groups. Disruptions of those relationships disturb the basic biological processes necessary for managing our relationships to others and ourselves. In this book Schore unravels how these processes are interwoven and guides us towards developing corrective interventions at various stages of development."
- Bessel A. van der Kolk, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, Boston University School of Medicine, and Medical Director, the Trauma Center, Boston

"In this compelling and provocative volume, Allan Schore proffers an interdisciplinary theory of the processes underlying affect regulation in normal and abnormal self-development. Utilizing a multiple levels of analysis perspective, Schore has provided an impressive theoretical synthesis of the extant literature on affect regulatory systems. Through its multi-disciplinary framework, this work has the potential to break down the barriers that traditionally have impeded the development of a comprehensive understanding of the self and its disorders. I highly recommend this volume!"
- Dante Cicchetti, Ph.D., Department of Psychology and Mt. Hope Family Center of the University of Rochester, Editor of Development and Psychopathology

ISBN: 0-393-70406-8
November, 2002
350 pages