Psychologist Developed ‘Double Helix’ Theory of Depression: ‘Dr. Blatt was a widely published Freudian analyst at Yale in the 1970s when he began arguing in essays and scientific reports that personality developed along two intertwined pathways, one focused on identity and the other on relationships.

Disruptions in either pathway could cause identical symptoms of depression, he wrote, yet the two conditions were distinct and called for different treatment approaches. The identity-based depression — “I am a failure” — responded well to classical psychoanalysis, with the therapist as a passive listener, helping to elicit growth in an independent sense of self; the relationship-based type — “I am unlovable” — could be relieved more effectively by a more assertive therapist, guiding the formation of relationships.’ (NYTimes obituary)