Introduction Part One Boundaries 1. The Relational Matrix 2. "Drive" and the Relational Matrix Part Two Sexuality 3. Drive Theory and the Metaphor of the Beast 4. Sex without Drive (Theory) Part Three Infantilism 5. The Metaphor of the Baby 6. Clinical Implications of the Developmental Tilt Part Four Narcissism 7. The Wings of Icarus 8. A Delicate Balance: The Clinical Play of Illusion Part Five Continuity and Change 9. The Problem of the Will 10. Penelope's Loom: Psychopathology and the Analytic Process References Index
Readers will find Mitchell to be a persuasive advocate for the
centrality of relational thinking in psychoanalytic theory and
clinical practice… Thought-provoking… As an added bonus, Mitchell
writes very well, and his use of metaphor and wit make this book a
pleasure to read.
*American Journal of Psychiatry*
This is a marvellous book. Mitchell argues that over the past few
decades psychoanalysis has undergone a paradigm shift. The change
is nothing short of a revolution in thought which radically alters
our understanding of the mind and human relationships… Mitchell is
a persuasive writer who skillfully draws together the central ideas
from object relations theory, interpersonal psychoanalysis and the
self-psychologies. He argues that despite their many differences
these ‘newer’ traditions have one central theme in common—they all
stress the central importance of personal relationships and human
interaction. In this new paradigm the focus of psychoanalytic study
shifts away from the vicissitudes of the instincts to persons in
their interactions with others… The book is scholarly and
informative, but yet it is readable, and enjoyably so. Mitchell
does a wonderful job in bringing together the relational concepts
embedded in the work of Bowlby, Klein, Winnicott, Fairbairn, Kohut,
and others. Brought together in this way, the case against Freud’s
drive theory seems impressively self-evident… This is an excellent
book which brings together the relational concepts that now
characterise psychotherapy. This is the leading edge of
psychoanalysis, and Mitchell’s work certainly helps it to
advance.
*British Journal of Psychiatry*
Brilliant… The gradual unfolding of Mitchell’s new theory is
accomplished through a dazzling series of thoughtful and
penetrating critiques and integrations of psychoanalytic theorizing
past and present. Mitchell is extraordinarily well read in
psychoanalytic theory, and he has a wide grasp of philosophy,
political theory, and literature as well. He writes with clarity
and wit, making a long, largely theoretical book as easy to read as
any. His text will be an important source of useful ideas and
criticism for the continuing development of psychoanalytic theory.
The opportunity to share in his wide and searching understanding
should not be missed by anyone interested in the field.
*Psychoanalytic Books*
A well-written, incisive, and very intelligent effort at
integrating compatible aspects of the many neo-Freudian
psychoanalytic theorists e.g., Sullivan, Klein, Winnicott, Loewald,
Schafer, Kohut, Kernberg, Gedo, and Pine… Importantly, [Mitchell]
shows how far modern analytic theory has departed from Freud’s
original instinctual drive theory… His work is a contemporary
beacon in the tumultuous seas of psychological thought since Freud.
Essential reading.
*Choice*
This important work is an articulate and incisive elaboration of
what the author considers to be a fundamental paradigm shift in
psychoanalysis, from a superseded drive psychology to an
interactional psychology embedded in a relational matrix which he
argues is shared in common by a diversity of current
perspectives—the object relational, the interpersonal, the
Kleinian, and the self psychological. His thesis is that the
conception of the object-relational matrix which these various
newer theoretical perspectives share, despite all their differences
in emphasis and in implementation, provides a more elegant and
satisfying explanatory framework for the clinical phenomena of
psychoanalysis than does Freud’s original drive psychology
paradigm, which can now be respectfully retired. Many will
disagree, and very sharply; I think all will profit from reading
this carefully reasoned argument.
*Robert S. Wallerstein, M.D.*
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