James F. Masterson, M.D.

Founder of the Masterson Institute and pioneer of the Developmental, Self and Object Relations approach.

Dr. Masterson pioneered the Developmental, Self and Object Relations (DSOR) approach to the psychotherapy of the Personality Disorders mainly through clinical research. He is one of the first clinicians to conduct empirical research on the borderline personality disorder more than three decades ago, long before empirical research was considered important. Dr Masterson was also the founding father of The Society of Adolescent Psychiatry and past president of its New York Chapter. The body of Dr. Masterson’s work is represented in the books he has written, many of which have been translated into several languages, including early work in the field of the real self, which represents a breakthrough in treatment of the borderline and narcissistic disorders.

His last book, “The Personality Disorders Through the Lens of Attachment Theory and Neurobiology: Development of the Self,” published by Zeig, Tucker, Theisen (of the former Behavioral Science Books). His books are required reading in courses throughout the country. As an international authority on The Personality Disorders, Dr Masterson’s articles and papers have been published in leading journals in the US and abroad and his books have been translated into several different languages. Dr. Masterson maintained a private practice and offered supervision to various clinicians for over three decades. He was Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry, Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University.

His professional memberships included:

• Fellow, American College of Psychoanalysts
• The American College of Psychiatrists
• Distinguished Life Fellow, American Psychiatric Association
• The American Society of Adolescent Psychiatry
• Executive Board, American Psychotherapy Association
• Honorary Member, Clinical Faculty Association, UCLA

Dr. Masterson’s Awards:

• Distinguished Life Fellow, American Psychiatric Association, 2003
• Annual 2003 Award, California Psychological Association for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology
• The Sigmund Freud Laureate Award, National Association of Psychoanalytic Physicians, 1996
• The Schonfeld Award of the American Society of Adolescent Psychiatry for outstanding achievement, 1989.
• The Alumnus of the Year Award, Jefferson Medical College, 1989

Beginning in 1987 a series of conferences and study groups created a demand for more intensive training and resulted in the formation of the Masterson Institute, a nonprofit organization devoted to teaching, clinical study and research. Ultimately, two formal, three-year postgraduate certificate programs were established, one in New York (1986) and one in San Francisco (1988).The three-year postgraduate Certificate Program aims to promote a thorough understanding of Masterson’s integrated developmental, self and object relations approach and its applications to normal human development, psychopathology, and the basic precepts of psychoanalytically-oriented psychotherapy, with a special focus on the requisite knowledge and skill required to treat personality disorders (also classified as disorders of the self). Significant findings from neurobiology and attachment theory have been integrated into the theoretical framework of the Masterson Approach.

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