Main description:

This book advances an integrative approach to understanding the phenomenon of psychosocial maturation. Through a rigorous, dialectically-informed interpretation of psychoanalytic and humanistic-existential-phenomenological sources, Mufid James Hannush distils thirty essential markers of maturity. The dialectical approach is described as a process whereby lived, affect-and-value laden polar meanings are transformed, through deep insight, into complementary and integrative meta-meanings. The author demonstrates how responding to the call of maturation can be viewed as a life project that serves the ultimate purpose of living a balanced life. The book will appeal to students and scholars of human development, psychotherapy, social work, philosophy, and existential, humanistic, and phenomenological psychology.

Contents:

1. Introduction

Part I The Capacities for Self-Analysis, Self-Understanding, and Self-Transcendence

2. Self-Analysis: The Capacity for Self-Analysis Through Self-Reflection

3. Self-Understanding: The Capacity for Self-Understanding and Insight into the Self

4. Self-Transcendence: The Capacity for Self-Transcendence Through the Suspension of Belief/JudgmentPart II The Capacities for Balance, Feelings, and Creativity

5. Balance: The Capacity to Establish and Maintain a Dialectical Balance Between Polar Lifeworld Meanings6. Feelings: The Capacity to Balance One's Feelings and Come to Terms with the Ambivalences and Ambiguities of Existence

7. Creativity: The Capacity for Creativity and Creative Living

Part III The Capacities for Aesthetics, Goodness, Kindness, and Truth8. Aesthetics: The Capacity for Relational Aesthetics

9. Goodness: The Capacity for Goodness

10. Kindness: The Capacity for Kindness

11. Truth: The Capacity to Seek, Find, and Be in the Service of Emotional and Relational Truth

Part IV The Capacities for Companionship and Aloneness

12. Companionship: The Capacity for Companionship and Friendship

13. Aloneness: The Capacity to Be at Home with Aloneness, Silence, and Solitude

Part V The Capacities for Self-Esteem, Flexibility, and Resilience14. Self-Esteem: The Capacity for Self-Esteem Regulation

15. Flexibility: The Capacity for Flexibility

16. Resilience: The Capacity for Resilience

Part VI The Capacities for Acceptance, Authenticity, and Responsibility

17. Acceptance: The Capacity for Acceptance of Self, Others, and Life Itself

18. Authenticity: The Capacity for Authenticity, Congruence, Genuineness, and Realness

19. Responsibility (Response-Ability): The Capacity for the Acceptance, Assumption, and Owning of ResponsibilityPart VII The Capacities for Holding, Trust, and Hope

20. Holding: The Capacity for Holding and Containing the Self/Other

21. Trust: The Capacity to Trust Self and Others

22. Hope: The Capacity for Realistic HopePart VIII The Capacities for Empathy, Relating, and Repairing

23. Empathy: The Capacity for Empathy

24. Relating: The Capacity for Healthy Relating

25. Repairing: The Capacity for Repairing Relational Ruptures

Part IX The Capacities for Irony, Joy, Love, and Work

26. Irony: The Capacity for Cultivating a Sense of Irony

27. Joy: The Capacity for Joy and Enjoyment as Manifested in Humor, Laughter, and Playfulness.

28. Love: The Capacity to Love and Be Loveable

29. Work: The Capacity for Generative WorkPart X The Capacities for Suffering and Mourning

30. Suffering: The Capacity to Endure Suffering

31. Mourning: The Capacity for Mourning and Working Through Loss

32. Conclusion