Do boarding schools damage those they are meant to reward?
"…Schaverien, a Jungian psychoanalyst, did not go to boarding school: it was as a practitioner that she became intrigued, noting how often boarding school featured in the past of surprising numbers of her patients. That makes her book – an academic work and a gripping read – all the more important…Schaverien brings a clear eye and the experience of 25 years of collecting data to an issue that should concern everyone worried about how children fare in professional care – which, of course, is what boarding school is." – Alex Renton,The Guardian
Boarding School Syndrome is an analysis of the trauma of the 'privileged' child sent to boarding school at a young age. Innovative and challenging, it offers a psychological analysis of the long-established British and colonial preparatory and public boarding school tradition.
Richly illustrated with images and case studies from adult ex-boarders, Joy Schaverien, a training analyst of the Society of Analytical Psychology, reveals details of the suffering endured by those that are considered ‘privileged’
and how loss, bereavement and captivity are sometimes compounded by physical, sexual and psychological abuse.
Although not a boarder herself, Schaverien draws on her clients’ experiences, as well as interviews with other ex-boarders, in order to portray the inner trauma of the boarding school child and the coping methods they use in order to survive their socially condoned abandonment. One such coping method is the adoption of an unconscious split between the 'home self' and the 'boarding school self'. This split may continue into adult life, causing difficulties in intimate relationships, generalized depression and separation anxiety amongst other forms of psychological distress.
Relevant to academic and casual readers alike, Boarding School Syndrome is written with equal parts candour and expertise, as Joy Schaverien assists ex-boarders to come to terms with their experience whilst helping the audience to understand the psychological trauma of the privileged child. She tackles different subjects, including the history of the boarding school; trauma and the developing brain; abandonment; homesickness and abuse.
Succinct and straightforward, this is the first comprehensive exploration of ‘Boarding School Syndrome’ and expands the conversation of boarding schools and their political, social and cultural significance.
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About the Author:
Joy Schaverien is a Jungian psychoanalyst, a training analyst of the Society of Analytical Psychology (London), a member of the International Association of Analytical Psychology and Visiting Professor in Art Psychotherapy in Sheffield. Her many publications include Gender, Countertransference and the Erotic Transference (Routledge, 2006).
NOTES FOR EDITORS
For more information, or to request a review copy, please contact:
(UK/Europe/ROW) Trish Pomar, Associate Marketing Manager, Routledge Mental Health
Tel: +44 (0) 207 017 4270 | Email: Trish.Pomar@tandf.co.uk
(North and South America) Julia Gardiner, Marketing Manager, Routledge Mental Health
Tel: +1 (917) 351-7165 | Email: Julia.Gardiner@taylorandfrancis.com
When referencing the book, please include: Boarding School Syndrome by Joy Schaverien, published by Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group).
*Learn more about Boarding School Syndrome at: http://www.routledgementalhealth.com/books/details/9780415690034/
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