Synopsis
In this era of rapid change in psychoanalysis there is a need for a work that bridges tradition and innovation. This book is devoted to building that bridge. On the one side there are the fundamental contributions of Freud and the great modern developers of ego psychology, and on the other the panoramas being opened by object-relational theory and practice, feminist thought, and postmodern critical theory. In this book, both the old and the new are shown to have significant strengths and distinctive problematic aspects, and the same may be said of the many transitional positions now prevalent among workers in the field of mental health. Many central ideas have had to be rethought; these include the nature of interpretation as a process, the validation of interpretations, the significant role played by countertransference in the therapeutic process, and the problem of working either systematically or eclectically in a discipline which now contains a number of strong competing points of view.
Peter B. Zeldow
This book consists of 14 papers written by the author during the last five years, nine of which have previously appeared in psychoanalytic journals or edited books. The overriding theme is the dialectic between tradition and innovation in psychoanalysis. Topics include the problem of evidence, the place of both morality and values in psychoanalytic theory and practice, "binary" conceptions of gender and sexuality, transference, and countertransference. The purpose is to collect "a family of essays that belong together in one place." Contemporary psychoanalysis is often misunderstood and difficult to characterize. The essays included here represent Schafer's most recent contributions to the debate over what constitutes the essence of psychoanalytic theory and practice. The book is intended for anyone with an interest in psychoanalysis. This would include not only psychiatrists and clinical psychologists, but historians, social philosophers, and feminist scholars. Dr. Schafer is a most credible authority. The book has separate subject and name indexes and a reference section of about 175 books and articles. The essays are organized into three sections, each of which has a short introduction by the author. This excellent book belongs on the shelf of any library with even a minimal collection of contemporary psychoanalytic works. Schafer is arguably the leading psychoanalytic scholar of his generation. This collection of essays ably illustrates his erudition, respect for tradition, and distinctively innovative vision.