"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 Schächter, 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 todays 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 Schächter, 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 Schächter, 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 todays 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 Schächter, this book should become obligatory reading for all analysts.'
Dr Elisabeth Brainin, member and training analyst of the Viennese Psychoanalytic Society
'The books 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
