Michael Fordham (1) (1905–1995)

'It is a very readable account and should be of interest to any psychotherapist.' Group Analysis. Michael Fordham's pioneering work on the archetypes and the self in childhood has spanned almost fifty years. The first edition of this book was published in 1944. Based on several empirical foundations, it derives its inspiration from his extensive experience as a psychotherapist and from Jung's formulations applied to the psychology of children. It was the first book to present a Jungian model of development. Fordham's conception of the self in childhood was revolutionalry for Jungians and path breaking for child development. At the time, modern research studies on infancy had not begun. Since then, the accumulation of evidence from experimental and analytical sources has added weight to the conception that the dynamic of the self is an important feature of development. This knowledge has been obtained through methods of observation and experimental studies working hand in hand. It has greatly strengthened Fordham's view of an infant as an individual and made it possible for him to clarify and expand on his ideas. The book includes many fascinating descriptions from Fordham's practice, and experience of infant observation studies, but in addition it provides the basic conceptions on which the burgeoning Jungian approach to child analysis is based.… (altro)