Every country unconsciously creates the psychoanalysis it needs, says Edith Kurzweil. Freudians everywhere, even the most orthodox, are influenced by national traditions, interests, beliefs, and institutions. In this original and stimulating book, Kurzweil traces the ways in which psychoanalysis has evolved in Austria, England, France, Germany, and the United States.

The author explains how psychoanalysis took root in each country, outlines the history of various psychoanalytic institutes, and describes how Freudian doctrine has been transmuted by aesthetic values, behavioral mores,...