Markers of Psychosocial Maturation

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.

Mufid James Hannush was Associate Professor of Psychology at Rosemont College in Rosemont, USA. Professor Hannush is the author of Becoming Good Parents: An Existential Journey (2002).

1. Introduction.- Part I The Capacities for Self-Analysis, Self-Understanding, and Self-Transcendence.- 2. Self-Analysis: The Capacity forSelf-AnalysisThrough Self-Reflection.- 3. Self-Understanding: The Capacity forSelf-Understandingand Insight into the Self.- 4. Self-Transcendence: The Capacity forSelf-TranscendenceThrough the Suspension of Belief/Judgment.- Part II The Capacities for Balance, Feelings, and Creativity.- 5. Balance: The Capacity to Establish and Maintain a DialecticalBalanceBetween Polar Lifeworld Meanings.- 6. Feelings: The Capacity to Balance OnesFeelingsand Come to Terms with the Ambivalences and Ambiguities of Existence.- 7. Creativity: The Capacity forCreativityand Creative Living.- Part III The Capacities for Aesthetics, Goodness, Kindness, and Truth.- 8. Aesthetics: The Capacity for RelationalAesthetics.- 9. Goodness: The Capacity forGoodness.- 10. Kindness: The Capacity forKindness.- 11. Truth: The Capacity to Seek, Find, and Be in the Service of Emotional and RelationalTruth.- Part IV The Capacities for Companionship and Aloneness.- 12. Companionship: The Capacity forCompanionshipand Friendship.- 13. Aloneness: The Capacity to Be at Home withAloneness, Silence, and Solitude.- Part V The Capacities for Self-Esteem, Flexibility, and Resilience.- 14. Self-Esteem: The Capacity forSelf-EsteemRegulation.- 15. Flexibility: The Capacity forFlexibility.- 16. Resilience: The Capacity forResilience.- Part VI The Capacities for Acceptance, Authenticity, and Responsibility.- 17. Acceptance: The Capacity forAcceptanceof Self, Others, and Life Itself.- 18. Authenticity: The Capacity forAuthenticity, Congruence, Genuineness, and Realness.- 19. Responsibility (Response-Ability): The Capacity for the Acceptance, Assumption, and Owning ofResponsibility.- Part VII The Capacities for Holding, Trust, andHope.- 20. Holding: The Capacity forHoldingand Containing the Self/Other.- 21. Trust: The Capacity toTrustSelf and Others.- 22. Hope: The Capacity for RealisticHope.- Part VIII The Capacities for Empathy, Relating, and Repairing.- 23. Empathy: The Capacity forEmpathy.- 24. Relating: The Capacity for HealthyRelating.- 25. Repairing: The Capacity forRepairingRelational Ruptures.- Part IX The Capacities for Irony, Joy, Love, and Work.- 26. Irony: The Capacity for Cultivating a Sense ofIrony.- 27. Joy: The Capacity forJoyand Enjoyment as Manifested in Humor, Laughter, and Playfulness.- 28. Love: The Capacity toLoveand BeLoveable.- 29. Work: The Capacity for GenerativeWork.- Part X The Capacities for Suffering and Mourning.- 30. Suffering: The Capacity to EndureSuffering.-31. Mourning: The Capacity forMourningand Working Through Loss.- 32. Conclusion.