The two remaining chapters of the book contain the exposition of the author's experience in the application of this method to a specific study of abnormal personality development. Chapter IV gives an examination of some psychological mechanisms, involved in the formation of pathological personality characteristics. It also includes some psychological techniques, aimed at the psychocorrection of various disturbances of mental health. Chapter V is devoted to a comprehensive analysis of personality changes characteristic of alcoholism and drug addictions. The author puts forward a hypothesis concerning the origins of psychological drug dependence, traces the stages of drug dependent motivation and elucidates the mechanisms of motivational deformation. Specific psychological characteristics differentiating adolescent alcoholism from adult alcoholism are singled out. Principles and techniques of psychological correction and prevention of adolescent and adult alcoholism are described.

Thus we can trace in the book three basic successive planes of the consideration of abnormal personality development: philosophic general psychological and applied special psychological levels. Such comprehensive treatment of the problem is unprecedented in the Soviet psychological literature. There is no doubt that the book will be of interest not only for the specialists concerned — philosophers, psychologists, sociologists, educators, psychotherapists. It may also promote their mutual understanding and cooperation in their combined efforts to solve the most urgent problems of modern science of man.

Книга является первым в отечественной науке развернутым монографическим исследованием психологии отклоняющегося развития личности. Проанализированы типичные подходы к пониманию проблемы нормы и патологии, рассмотрены философские предпосылки выявления общих критериев нормы, дано целостное представление о структуре и функциях смысловой сферы личности. уровнях психического здоровья, показаны конкретные внутренние механизмы возникновения аномалий личности (изменения характера, искажение субъективных ценностей, влечение к алкоголю и наркотикам и др.), пути и принципы восстановительной, психо-коррекционной и психопрофилактической работы.