Psychoanalytic Theory and Clinical Relevance What Makes a Theory Consequential for Practice

Berger grapples with the nature of "consequential" theorizing, i.e., theorizing that is relevant to what transpires in clinical practice By examining psychoanalysis as a genre of "state process formalism" -- the standard format of scientific theory -- he demonstrates why contemporary theorizing inevitably fails to explain crucial aspects of practice. Then, drawing on theories of affect, the nature of first-language acquisition, and the philosophical topics of free will and determinism, he offers pragmatic recommendations for arriving at a theory more relevant to practice.Berger, Louis S. is the author of 'Psychoanalytic Theory and Clinical Relevance What Makes a Theory Consequential for Practice' with ISBN 9780881630428 and ISBN 088163042X.