The field of psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapy has tended to fragment into disparate theoretical orientations that often find little in common with each other, though each sheds light on important aspects of the psyche. This book addresses the question, how can these disparate orientations best be brought together in the service of interpretation? Starting from the conviction that treatment becomes more effective and comprehensive if as many aspects of the psyche as possible are addressed, Robert Hooberman proposes that character structure—an aspect of psychic functioning traditionally given short shrift in psychoanalytic discourse—can provide a framework in which multiple theoretical perspectives can have their say. Numerous case examples are used for illustration.

"Hooberman articulates with great transparency the ways that his approach helps his patients to form new perspectives on their emotions, their behaviors, and their lives....Hooberman's book is replete with...vivid clinical examples....These elegant viginettes succinctly illuminate Hooberman's direct and compassionate style of working with a wide variety of patients....Hooberman welcomes the reader not only into his consulting room, but into his mind. It is rare to have such a vivid sense of another therapist's way of being with such a wide variety of patients....This slim volume is a rich source of challenging and stimulating ideas." - Division 39 Newsletter, December 2008

"This slender volume does an excellent job of depicting how different theoretical constructs can come together comfortably." - Psychotherapy Review, November 2008