Depressive Personality Styles: an In-Depth Discussion

Depressive Personality Styles: an In-Depth Discussion

Kathryn Levison, BA

One of the most widely studied personality styles, no discourse on a depressive personality’s approach to coping with life can be all-inclusive. Even author and psychoanalyst Nancy McWilliams wrote twice as much on depression as all the other chapters in her reference text, Psychoanalytic diagnosis. Therefore, while this writing is packed with information, the data on depression can be daunting. Still, Kathryn Levison strives to present the most apropos data along with plenty of resources and references for further exploration of depression and depressive personalities.

The Surprising Root of Manic Character Patterns

The Surprising Root of Manic Character Patterns

Kathryn Levison, BA

How can an upbeat person have a gloomy undercurrent to their otherwise personable nature? Why would someone who’s “always happy and productive” suddenly turn irritable but then shift back to their usual cheerful self? And who wouldn’t feel steamrollered and sad when someone or something dear to their heart is suddenly and unexpectedly stripped away? Drawing on psychoanalyst Nancy McWilliams’ theories, two classic concepts from Freud and Jung, and her own personal experiences, Kathryn Levison offers an answer that is both surprising and surprisingly logical.

Unmasking Masochistic Self-Defeat

Unmasking Masochistic Self-Defeat

Kathryn Levison, BA

People who seem to be their own worst enemies — whose histories are riddled with actions and decisions clearly antithetical to their well-being — can confound even the most skilled clinician. But while theories on its origin abound, one thing is crystal clear: masochistic self-defeat is a learned behavior. Follow along as Kathryn Levison presents insights, information, and her own personal experience that, with psychoanalytic psychotherapy, any learned behavior — even the most self-damaging — can be un-learned.