Combining a comprehensive account of Freudian theory with a synthesis of contemporary psychoanalysis, this volume includes the contributions of Margaret Mahler and Erik Erikson, as well as those of Kohut, Kemberg, Hartmann, Fairbairn and Winnicott. Reknowned psychiatrist W.W. Meissner details the development of analytic theory, which has undergone a continual remodelling during the years since the birth of psychoanalysis. Dr Meissner traces this evolution from the earliest stages of Freud's psychoanalytic thinking to such developments as object relations theory and self-psychology. A chapter on psychoanalytic therapy rounds out this unique volume. The book should appeal to anyone interested in Freud and psychology.