Psychoanalysis: Evolution and Development

by Patrick Mullahy and Clara Thompson

Book Overview

Clara Thompson was a leading representative of the cultural interpersonal school of psychoanalysis, sometimes known as the "neo-Freudians," which included Karen Horney, Erich Fromm, and Harry Stack Sullivan. "Classical analysts" once viewed neo-Freudians with the greatest suspicion and mistrust, yet today they can be seen for the innovative group of thinkers they were. Thompson's Psychoanalysis: Evolution and Development, first published in 1950,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0765809672
• ISBN13: 9780765809674
• Release Date: October 2002
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.81 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

A Classic of Interpersonal Psychoanalysis

Originally published in 1950, this book is one of the classics of interpersonal psychoanalysis. Though not as widely known as some of her contemporaries - Harry Stack Sullivan, Karen Horney, and Erich Fromm - Clara Thompson was one of the founders of interpersonal psychoanalysis, or what has become more broadly known as the Neo-Freudian movement. Trained by Sandor Ferenczi, one of Freud's most brilliant students, Thompson helped introduce a new perspective on psychoanalysis to the United States. This perspective emphasized the real interactions between analyst and patient, modifying the traditional Freudian emphasis on history, fantasy, and abreaction in psychoanalysis. This is a highly readable and informative introduction to the various viewpoints in psychoanalysis from its inception through the middle of the twentieth century. For those wishing to understand the history of American psychoanalysis, from one that helped create it - and held "deviant" beliefs from Freud -- this is an important starting point. For students interested in the "technique" of psychoanalysis a study of this book is well worth the time. This edition also includes an introduction by the noted psychoanalytic historian and critic, Paul Roazen, to orient the reader. His incisive introduction describes the influences that shaped Thompson, from her initial and controversial analysis with Ferenczi to her later analysis with Fromm (and between these her training analysis of Sullivan). Altogether, a cogent and rewarding read.