This is the first book dedicated to the Contemporary Freudian Tradition. In its introduction, and through its selection of papers, it describes the development and rich diversity of this tradition over recent decades, showing how theory and practice are inseparable in the psychoanalytic treatment of children, adolescents and adults.

The book is organized around four major concerns in the Contemporary Freudian Tradition: the nature of the Unconscious and the ways that it manifests itself; the extension of Freud's theories of development through the work of Anna Freud and later theorists; the body and psychosexuality, including the centrality of bodily experience as it is elaborated over time in the life of the individual; and aggression. It also illustrates how within the Tradition different exponents have been influenced by psychoanalytic thinking outside it, whether from the Kleinian and Independent Groups, or from French Freudian thinking. Throughout the book there is strong emphasis on the clinical setting, in, for example, the value of the Tradition's approach to the complex interrelationship of body and mind in promoting a deeper understanding of somatic symptoms and illnesses and working with them. There are four papers on the subject of dreams within the Contemporary Freudian Tradition, illustrating the continuing importance accorded to dreams and dreaming in psychoanalytic treatment.

This is the only book that describes in detail the family resemblances shared by those working psychoanalytically within the richly diverse Contemporary Freudian Tradition. It should appeal to anyone, from student onwards, who is interested in the living tradition of Freud's work as understood by one of the three major groups within British psychoanalysis.

About the Author

Joan Schachter trained as a psychiatrist before training as a psychoanalyst in the British Psychoanalytic Institute. She worked a consultant psychotherapist in the NHS for many years. Since retiring from the NHS she works in private psychoanalytic practice.

Ken Robinson works as a psychoanalyst in private practice in Newcastle upon Tyne. He is a member of the British Psychoanalytical Society, Honorary Member of the Polish Society for Psychoanalytical Psychotherapy and Visiting Professor of Psychoanalysis at Northumbria University.

Reviews

"This is a remarkable collection of papers. Each one is worth spending time with individually, while the collection as a whole is an invaluable survey of the Contemporary Freudian tradition. Ken Robinson and Joan Schachter, prominent members of that tradition, have put together almost 20 papers, spanning some 40 years, which address themes such as the unconscious mind; psychic development; the body and psychosexuality; and aggression and destructiveness. Some are acknowledged classics; others may take the reader into new territory. Together they show the evolution over time of Contemporary Freudian thinking and reveal the richness and diversity of what is a central current in today's psychoanalysis."

Dr Michael Parsons is a Fellow Training Analyst of the British Psychoanalytical Society.

"This collection of papers of the wide family of Contemporary Freudian Analysts will help all of us, including those in the UK, to keep Freudian Thinking in a lively and creative way. The collection exemplifies the enormous wealth of Contemporary Freudian thinking. Thanks to the efforts of the Editors Ken Robinson and Joan Schachter, this book should become obligatory reading for all analysts."

Dr Elisabeth Brainin, member and Training Analyst of the Viennese Psychoanalytic Society.

'This is a remarkable collection of papers. Each one is worth spending time with individually, while the collection as a whole is an invaluable survey of the Contemporary Freudian tradition. Ken Robinson and Joan Schachter, prominent members of that tradition, have put together almost 20 papers, spanning some 40 years, which address themes such as the unconscious mind; psychic development; the body and psychosexuality; and aggression and destructiveness. Some are acknowledged classics; others may take the reader into new territory. Together they show the evolution over time of Contemporary Freudian thinking and reveal the richness and diversity of what is a central current in today's psychoanalysis.'

Michael Parsons is a fellow training analyst of the British Psychoanalytical Society

'This collection of papers of the wide family of Contemporary Freudian Analysts will help all of us, including those in the UK, to keep Freudian Thinking in a lively and creative way. The collection exemplifies the enormous wealth of Contemporary Freudian thinking. Thanks to the efforts of the editors Ken Robinson and Joan Schachter, this book should become obligatory reading for all analysts.'

Dr Elisabeth Brainin, member and training analyst of the Viennese Psychoanalytic Society

'The book's title embraces the tensions and possibilities of invoking a "contemporary tradition" - a coalescing of the new now and the enduring old. The editors boldly tell us that there is a danger that the papers associated with the Anna Freudian strain of the Contemporary Freudian tradition, which are its orthodoxy, will smother creativity. But, they maintain, the more recent papers that represent a vibrant, fresh perspective and engagement with current ideas coexist peacefully with the older ones. Taken together, they write, the blend of traditional and contemporary writings showcases the contribution of Contemporary Freudians to British psychoanalysis. This goal is unquestionably achieved by this fascinating volume, which conveys an exquisite complexity and depth of conceptualization of both development and psychoanalysis, and an up-to-date synthetic breadth, capturing the enduring and the contemporary in this generative group among our psychoanalytic family.'

Sharone Berger. To read this review in full please visit: Bergner, S. (2022) The Contemporary Freudian tradition: Past and present, Edited by Ken Robinson and Joan Schachter, Routledge, Abingdon, Oxon and New York, NY, 2021, $44.95 (paperback edition), ISBN: 978-0-367-48356-2 (pbk). International Journal of Psychoanalysis 103:922-927

Book Information
ISBN 9780367483562
Author Ken Robinson
Format Paperback
Page Count 370
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 535g