The Fabric of Affect in the Psychoanalytic Discourse is a seminal work on one of the most neglected topics in psychoanalysis, that of affect. Originally published in French as Le Discours Vivant, and by one of the most distinguished living analysts, the book is structured in three parts:

• Affect within psychoanalytic literature
• Clinical practice of psychoanalysis: structure and process
• Theoretical study: affect, language and discourse; negative hallucination

Written in a clear, lucid style, connecting theory to both culture and...

In the well known myth of Pandora, hope was the last and most needed gift at the bottom of a box of myriad misfortunes let loose on an unsuspecting world. For most human beings hope is a positive benefit. But in this work, Anna Potamianou shows how in the borderline patient it can become an omnipotent means of denying reality. Indeed, in such individuals, any state of mind or feeling can take on the status of an object, which is then used as a barrier against their fear of change. The author gives both clinical and literary examples of how this happens and goes on to discuss the connection...

The ways in which an individual (the subject) relates to and perceives other people (his or her objects) has been a preoccupation of psychoanalysis and in recent years a plethora of concepts has grown up in the literature. In this study, the changing meanings of the different concepts are explained from context to context, discussing in depth the theoretical issues underlying them. The text includes an historical survey of how mental objects have been understood in the various schools of psychoanalysis as they have developed. The topics discussed include: Freud and his associates; the...

The work of Michael Balint, a leading object-relations theorist, has been neglected since his death in 1970. A charismatic teacher in both pure and applied analysis, his work with general practitioners has become widely known. This work re-establishes his contributions to psychoanalysis related to the interdependence of mother and infant, the secondary nature of narcissism, the use of transference and countertransference and the analyst's technique.

In this text, the author examines Freud's earliest psychoanalytic book, Studies on Hysteria, which he wrote together with Breuer, and Moses and Monotheism, his last book. The essay on Studies on Hysteria reveals to the reader why that book is considered the primal book of psychoanalysis. If offers an account of the birth of the psychoanalytic method and introduces the key concept of trauma - establishing a foundation on which much of modern psychoanalysis has been built. Freud was to return to his original theory of trauma in his last book, Moses and Monotheism, where he developed it further...

Many of the themes which were elaborated in Hanna Segal's earlier work return in this volume of her most recent papers. Two act as connecting strands and give the book its unity: the clinical usefulness of the concept of the death instinct and the relationship between fantasy and reality.

A past mistress at capturing the vitality of the clinical session on the page, Segal shows how the same conflicts between life and death instincts, fantasy and reality, are experienced in the consulting room, reflected in literature, and played out by nations in their attitudes to war.

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This volume presents a collection of case studies by analysts who have treated patients who have committed serious acts of violence, either against others or themselves. Each detailed clinical account demonstrates the effectiveness of the psychoanalytic treatment and aims to further our understanding of the nature of violence. The text also contains a comprehensive review of the existing literature on aggression and violence from America, England and France, drawing out major themes which should be of interest to all those working with violent and suicidal patients.

Providing guidance on how the analyst can encourage the patient to communicate the quality of their often intolerably painful states of mind, this text looks at how he/she can interpret these states, using them as a basis for insight and psychic change in the patient. Employing clinical examples and addressing important areas of Kleinian theory, the author examines the problems that underlie severe pathology and shows how meaningful analytic work can take place, even with very disturbed patients. The text should be a useful and practical guide for psychoanalysts and psychotherapists and all...

Joseph Sandler has been an important influence in psychoanalysis throughout the world during the latter part of the 20th century, contributing to changing views on both psychoanalytic theory and technique. He has also been a bridging force in psychoanalysis, helping to close the gap between American ego psychologists, and British Kleinian and object relations theorists. This book provides a comprehensive overview of Sandler's contribution to the development of psychoanalysis. The contributors trace the development of the main themes and achievements of Sandler's work, in particular his focus...

The nature of psychoanalysis seems contradictory - deeply personal, subjective and intuitive, yet requiring systematic theory and principles of technique. In this book, Michael Parsons explores the tension of this paradox. As they respond to it and struggle to sustain creatively, analysts discover their individual identities. The work of clinicians such as Marion Milner and John Klauber is examined in detail. The reader also encounters Oriental martial arts, Greek Tragedy, the landscape painting of John Constable, a Winnicottian theory of creativity and a discussion of the significance of...