Principles Of Psychoanalysis

Written with wit, simplicity and sympathy, this authoritative sourcebook on psychoanalysis presents both to the layman and the psychology student the most basic understanding of the problems of modern life. The author draws upon the information compiled from extensive case histories to present both theories and their practical application. Originally published in 1949 by Doubleday and Company, Inc.

First published in 1946, Psychoanalytic Therapy stands as a classic presentation of "brief therapy". The volume, which is based upon nearly six hundred cases, derives from a concerted effort at the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis to define the principles that make possible a psychotherapy shorter and more efficient than traditional psychoanalysis and to develop specific techniques of treatment. While taking a psychoanalytic approach, the authors urge the therapist to plan carefully and sensibly to avoid letting every case drift into "interminable" psychoanalysis. They address not only psychiatrists and psychoanalysts, but also psychologists, general physicians, social workers, and "all whose work is closely concerned with human relationships."

Researching the Unconscious provides an exposition of key issues in the philosophy and methods of the social sciences that are relevant to psychoanalysis, both as a clinical practice and as a human science. These include the debates initiated by Thomas Kuhn’s theory of scientific revolutions, the "actor-network theory" of Bruno Latour, the ideas of philosophical realism, distinctions between "meaningful" and "causal" explanation, and the relevance of complexity theory and "part–whole analysis" to psychoanalysis. The book goes on to discuss specific forms and methods of psychoanalytical research, including the role of case studies, of outcome research, and of "grounded theory" as a key methodological resource, of which it provides a detailed example. The book concludes by outlining principles and methods for psychoanalytic research in the wider contexts of infant observational studies, society, and culture. Michael Rustin provides a unifying account of the methodological principles that underlie the generation of knowledge in psychoanalysis, in the light of recent developments in the philosophy and sociology of science. In doing so, it provides a coherent rationale for psychoanalytic investigation, which will be of value to those pursuing research in this field. Researching the Unconscious is unusual in its being based both on a deep understanding of and respect for psychoanalytical clinical practice and on its author’s wider knowledge of the philosophy and sociology of science. It is unique in its comprehensive approach to the principles of psychoanalytic research.

This book examines the ways in which we make use of the Group Relations model, set up in the experimental field of the Group Relations conferences, to understand and modify the functioning of working groups. It is based on a psychoanalytic knowledge of the psychosocial development of human beings.

The Fantasy Principle makes a strong case for a new school of psychoanalysis - the school of 'imaginal psychology'. It radically affirms the centrality of imagination and emphasizes the transformative impact of images.