Psychoanalytic diagnosis

This book, now in its second edition, fills a key need in the field by making psychoanalytic personality theory accessible to practitioners of all levels of experience.

Nancy McWilliams explains major character types and demonstrates how understanding the patient's individual personality structure can influence the therapist's focus and style of intervention.

The book incorporates advances in attachment theory, neuroscience, and the study of trauma, and provides guidelines for developing a systematic yet flexible diagnostic formulation.

It features numerous clinical vignettes presented with humor, candor, and compassion, making abstract concepts more understandable and relatable.