Object Relations, Work and the Self

In this book, David P. Levine applies psychoanalytic object relations theory to understanding work motivation and the meaning of work. Drawing on the writings of authors such as Donald Winnicott, Otto Kernberg and Melanie Klein, he explores three factors central to our effort to understand work: guilt, greed and the self. Special attention is paid to the factors that determine the individual’s emotional capacity to do work that engages the self and its creative potential and to the related matter of impairment in that capacity. Chapters include:


the problem of work
greed, envy and the search for the self
skill, power and authority
work and reality.

Object Relations, Work and the Self will be of interest to psychoanalysts and organizational consultants as well as anyone concerned with what determines the quality of life in the workplace.

David P. Levine is a Professor and Director of the International Administration degree program at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver. He has published extensively in the fields of applied psychoanalysis and group dynamics.

Introduction. The Problem of Work. The Group at Play. Greed, Envy and the Search for Self. Life and Death at Work. Reparation, Empathy and the Public Good. Skill, Power and Authority. Work Identity. Work and Reality. Conclusion.