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A psychologist explores the human psyche's tendency toward fragmentation and a plan to restore a healthy self. In this debut book, Litvin argues that the human psyche tends, often as a response to trauma, to shatter into disjointed parts. This can be a normal and even salutary psychological mechanism, especially when employed to defensively sequester the mind from overwhelming pain. But the mind can overreact to distress, leading to a self so addled with internal fissures that unhappiness, anxiety, confusion, and a deficit of self-esteem can ensue. Fortunately, the author contends, the splintering of one's self can be remedied by establishing a dialogue between the parts, hence producing a "e;congruence"e; that results in the harmony of a "e;Utopian collective"e;: "e;The solid identity is a unique structure of the psyche where the fragments are aligned together in common goals and attitude."e; In order to illustrate his chief points, Litvin concocts a fictional case study that chronicles the life of soldier Stepan Kryvoruchko, who fled the authoritarian ideology of the Soviet Union and suffered from a "e;shattered identity"e; as a consequence. The author vividly personifies the scattered shards of Stepan's mind, and the process whereby he heals destructive "e;splitting"e; through a reconstructive unification. Litvin compellingly assesses the political dimension of his theory, and the "e;virus of radicalization"e; that can infect both individuals as well as body politics. Author also includes helpful literary analogies, drawing a connection between critique of totalitarian collectivism and Dostoyevsky's novelistic dissection of the issue. This volume also expands upon the author's idea of sailing as a metaphor for introspective search, and provides a broader account of the nature of individual equilibrium; these concrete illustrations are of great instructional value.

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