Margaret Mahler

Margaret Mahler was from a young age intrigued by the theories of Sigmund Freud and Hungarian psychoanalysts such as Sandor Ferenzci, with whom she became acquainted while a student in Budapest. Forced to flee Europe and rising anti–Semitism, Margaret and her husband, Paul, came to the United States in 1938. It was after this move that Mahler performed her most significant research and developed concepts such as the ground-breaking theory of separation-individuation, an idea which was given credence by Mahler’s own relationship with her father.
This volume details the life and work of Margaret Mahler focusing on her life’s ambition—her psychoanalytical work. Her experiences with the Philadelphia Institute and her definitive research through the Masters Children’s Clinic are also discussed.

Alma Halbert Bond is also the author of 13 other books, both nonfiction and fiction. She lives in New York.

Alma Halbert Bond
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 251
Bibliographic Info: 21 photos, glossary, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2008
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3355-1
eISBN: 978-0-7864-8255-9
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments      vii
Preface      1
Prologue (1938)      3

1. The Early Years      7
2. Medical Training      23
3. Her Analysts      37
4. Marriage (1936–1953)      60
5. The Nazis (1919–1938)      64
6. London (1938)      72
7. America (1938–1985)      76
8. Divorce (1953)      86
9. The Philadelphia Story      97
10. The Masters Children’s Center      111
11. Dr. Mahler’s Advice to New Mothers (1979)      124
12. Alma Bond, Participant Observer (1966)      128
13. Mahler’s Need for Dual Unity (The Present)      144
14. Her Colleagues Remember (The Present)      160
15. Aging and Death (Circa 1970–1985)      182
16. The Mysterious Will of Margaret Mahler (1985)      193
17. Margaret Mahler Today (The Present)      202

Postscript: “Ve Are Vun” (The Present)      217
Glossary      219
Chapter Notes      223
References      232
Bibliography      233
Index      237

• Finalist, Book of the Year—Foreword Magazine.
• Finalist, National Best Books 2008 Award
• “Bright commentary…author brings us ringside”—Midwest Book Review
• “A fascinating and engrossing biography…a colorful account…rich text”—PsycCRITIQUES.