Over the course of the past 15 years, there has been a vast sea change
in American psychoanalysis. It takes the form of a broad movement away
from classical psychoanalytic theorizing grounded in Freud's drive
theory toward models of mind and development grounded in object
relations concepts. In clinical practice, there has been a corresponding
movement away from the classical principles of neutrality, abstinence
and anonymity toward an interactive vision of the analytic situation
that places the analytic relationship, with its powerful, reciprocal
affective currents, in the foreground. These developments have been
evident in virtually all schools of psychoanalysis in America, from the
most traditional to the most radical.
The wellspring of these innovations is the work of a group of
psychoanalysts who have struggled to integrate aspects of interpersonal
psychoanalysis, various British object relations theories, and
psychoanalytic feminism. Although not self-selected as a school, these
theorists have generated a distinct tradition of psychoanalytic thought
and clinical practice that has become extremely influential within
psychoanalysis in the United States.
Relational Psychoanalysis: The Emergence of a Tradition brings
together for the first time the seminal papers of the major authors
within this tradition. Each paper is accompanied by an introduction, in
which the editors place it in its historical context, and a new
afterward, in which the author suggests subsequent developments in his
or her thinking. This book is an invaluable resource for any clinical
practitioner, teacher or student of psychoanalysis interested in
exploring the exciting developments of recent years.
