ON THE COUCH

An exploration of 20th-century psychotherapy as seen through the lives of 20 famous figures, from Cary Grant to Vladimir Putin.

Using short biographical case studies, Jamieson (Midlife: Humanity’s Secret Weapon, 2022) has crafted an impressively accessible introduction to psychotherapy that balances its inherent complexities with familiar, personal touchstones. Freudian analysis is discussed alongside the life of Picasso, who “was nothing more than his ego, which was immense, dominating, spectacular in its imagination and vision, predatory in its carnal, febrile acquisitions.” Nelson Mandela’s life illustrates Jung’s theory of individuation, “that the childhood trauma, the adolescence upheaval, the midlife misery has a potential transformational energy which can mould and sculpt the higher, better aspects of our nature.” Jamieson declares these texts are “a set of musings and reflections carved out of [his] own subjective views,” and frequently recounts stories of his own patients. These tonal shifts provide a welcome counterpoint to Jamieson’s histories and warmly invite introspective readers toward their own self-reflection. Curiously, an old-fashioned diagnosis of “maternal deficiency” persists throughout numerous studies. “This is what I have always believed happens in psychotherapy,” Jamieson admits, “that the client is looking for an experience of re-parenting.” Copernicus and Darwin “were constantly stalled by a depressive tendency that I’m quite sure originated from the early traumatic loss of their mothers.” Josephine Baker suffered from a “parental void,” and Marilyn Monroe’s relationships were an “endless search for that parental loving care which she never received as a child.” The collection ends with a glowing text on the maternal Angela Merkel and declares that we “must now allow the feminine principle to rein in and take priority over the testosterone-driven male ego-directed ambition,” or else “atavistic male drive will eventually destroy us all.” Jamieson attempts to harness a feminist cohesive energy, but in doing so reduces much of his book to issues surrounding one’s mother.

A far-reaching examination with a common diagnosis.