John Terry Maltsberger, American Psychoanalyst: Contributions to the Development of Studies of Suicide and Self-Attack

• Published in: Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association 2018-10, Vol.66 (5), p.861-882
• Main Authors: Goldblatt, Mark, J., Herbstman, Benjamin, Schechter, Mark, Ronningstam, Elsa
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0003-0651; 1941-2460
• DOI: 10.1177/0003065118801596

John Terry Maltsberger (1933–2016) was an American psychoanalyst who greatly influenced studies of the suicidal patient, and a suicidologist whose contributions significantly impacted psychoanalysis. Through his devotion to the understanding and treatment of suicidal people he exerted a major influence in both areas. Throughout a long and productive career, Maltsberger focused on an uncomfortable area of the psyche, that sphere that impels the attack on the self. His position in psychoanalysis stands out for his early emphasis on the patient’s internal subjective experience and the dynamics of the therapeutic engagement. He had a broad range of knowledge and interests beyond psychoanalysis and was able to integrate perspectives from empirical studies with his empathic understanding of clinical material and a striking ability to make complex and impenetrable intrapsychic processes lucidly understandable.