|
|
 |
|
|
Memories of Loss and Dreams of Perfection: Unsuccessful Childhood Grieving and Adult Creativity
Delmont Morrison and Shirley Linden Morrison
|
|
|
Imagery and Human Development Series, Series Editor: Anees A. Sheikh
You can read the
Introduction for free right now, just click here.
IN PRAISE OF
"The Morrisons' narrative is at once scholarly and sensitively drawn, at times even bringing tears to one's eyes. Here one sees the life-altering pain and disruption of loss, which can lead to constriction, defense, and limited self. It may also, at times, lead to challenge, a wish to master, and creative coping. Through the alchemy of the written word, some authors have transformed the lead of pain into creative gold. Delmont and Shirley Morrison help us understand this mystery and the sources of this creative gift to us all. You will never see J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan in the same way again."
—Ruth Richards, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Saybrook Graduate School, Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, Lecturer, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
"This book is a major contribution to the literature on child development, loss, and creativity. The Morrisons have produced a masterful synthesis of the literature and show a deep understanding of how loss in childhood can affect emotion and imagination in the child and the creative process in the adult. Their book is unique in that it (1) presents new ideas and expands our understanding of the complex interrelationships among loss, child development, and creativity, and (2) presents clinical cases of play therapy and case studies of creative adults to illustrate theory and concepts. Memories of Loss and Dreams of Perfection is also very interesting and enjoyable to read."<>br>
—Sandra Russ, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Case Western Reserve University
"Delmont and Shirley Morrison have made an impressive contribution to psychology and to the appreciation of literature by demonstrating the ways in which children's imaginative play can help them cope with the tragic early loss of beloved family members and by tracing how such early play processes form the basis for adult creativity. The Morrisons incorporate scientific research, clinical case studies, and biographies in a manner that provides us with a deeper understanding of the fiction of Emily Brontë, James M. Barrie, Jack Kerouac, and Isak Dinesen (Baroness Blixen). Readers will be deeply touched and moved to self-exploration by the humanity and sensitivity of this fine effort."
—Jerome L. Singer, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Psychology, Yale University
"Sensitively presented, Memories of Loss and Dreams of Perfection is a major contribution to the field of child development and it helps us understand our own creativity."
—Savannah Jones, Review Editor, SirReadaLot.org, October, 2005
"Although the book is theoretical, drawing upon earlier works of learning and loss, it has a unique focus—the resulting adult creativity that stems from childhood grieving. It is sensitively written and well researched. It is useful reading for those interested in these interrelated areas."
—Susan Richardson, MA, PSY.D, Private Practice, Doody's Review Service
ABOUT THE BOOK
Memories of Loss and Dreams of Perfection is a study of the development of imagination in childhood, the effects on that development of the early loss of a psychologically important member of the family, and unsuccessful grieving. For the child, unsuccessful grieving is the result of anxiety and unresolved conflict related to the deceased, who is known not through ongoing experience but
through compensatory memory. Unacceptable thoughts about the deceased person generate internal anxiety; repression occurs, and the unconscious develops. The child's major defense is identification with the idealized lost sibling or parent. Disruptions occur in the development of representational, reflective, and autonomous thought. In this book, the authors illustrate the
clinical issues related to unsuccessful grieving in childhood with a presentation of the play therapy of two children.
Because of issues related to development, unsuccessful grieving in childhood is different from that in adulthood. The enduring effects of such conflicts established during childhood are seen in the adult whose preoccupations with death and loss result in chronic feelings of low self-esteem, depression, and incompleteness. This results in repeated attempts to enter into romanticized relationships with idealized individuals who temporarily mitigate the feeling of low self-esteem and the memories of loss. For the creative individual, these relationships produce stories that attempt to master death with conclusions that are more supportive of their wished-for relationships and sense of self. The authors use the lives and writings of Emily Bronte, J. M. Barrie, Isak Dinesen, and Jack Kerouac to illustrate the relationship between unsuccessful grieving in childhood and imagination and creativity.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Delmont Cleve Morrison, Ph.D., is retired Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco; he was Director of the Clinical Psychology Training Program and Director of the Early Childhood Development Clinic. His long-standing interest in imagination and creativity, shared with his wife, Shirley, has resulted in numerous publications, including Organizing Early Experience, and membership on the editorial board of Imagination, Cognition, and Personality. As a child psychologist, Dr. Morrison has had considerable experience treating the effects of early loss and unsuccessful grieving on the child and family.
Shirley Linden Morrison is a faculty member at Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, California, where she teaches mythology and literature - including Children's Literature. She has taught at NDNU for more than thirty years, and last year received the University's prestigious Living Torch Award. This year, the School of Arts & Humanities will offer an endowed scholarship in her name. Shirley Linden Morrison's work on Isak Dinesen led to her essay on Dinesen in The Encyclopedia of Creativity. She has also published work on Barrie and Bronte, and has made numerous presentations on creativity at conferences, for example to the APA, Philological Association Pacific Coast, Creativity & Madness, Mythopoeic Society, and Christianity & Literature. She is the author of The Pearl and the Princes: A Tale of Twins, a fantasy romance. She and her husband, Delmont, have together published articles/chapters and made presentations on creativity. This book is a culmination of their joint efforts.
INTENDED AUDIENCE: Professional and lay individuals interested in child clinical psychology, creativity, early loss and grieving, and the four authors discussed in the text. Clinical psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists, and any professionals working with this group of children and families: dance and
music therapists, teachers. The text could be used for graduate courses in the behavioral sciences and as a secondary text for courses in literature.
|
| Baywood Publishing Company, Inc. |
| Phone: 631 691-1270 |
|
Fax: 631 691-1770 |
|
Toll free order line: 800-638-7819 |
|
Email: info@baywood.com |
|
|
|
