The Wisdom of the Ego

George E. Vaillant

    Introduction

    1. Why Praise the Human Ego?

    2. A Matter of Definition

    3. Self-Deceptions of Everyday Life

    4. Necessary Questions

    5. How Can We Prove That Defenses Exist?

    6. The Ego and Adult Development

    7. Life Histories

    8. The Ego and Creativity

    9. Sylvia Plath: Creativity and Psychotic Defenses

    10. Anna Freud: Mature Defenses

    11. Eugene O'Neill: The Maturation of Defenses

    12. Disadvantage, Resilience, and Mature Defenses

    13. How Does the Ego Mature?

    Notes

    Acknowledgments

    Credits

    Index

  • Cover: The Wisdom of the Ego

George E. Vaillant is Professor of Psychiatry, ; Director of the Study of Adult Development, Harvard University Health Services; and Director of Research in the Division of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital.