Freud and Beyond: A History of Modern Psychoanalytic Thought

by Stephen A. Mitchell, Margaret J. Black

The classic, in-depth history of psychoanalysis, presenting over a hundred years of thought and theories Sigmund Freud's concepts have become a part of our psychological unconscious thoughts and feelings, conflict, the meaning of dreams, the sensuality of childhood. But psychoanalytic thinking has undergone an enormous expansion and transformation since Freud's death in 1939. With Freud and Beyond, Stephen A. Mitchell and Margaret J. Black make the full scope of twentieth century psychoanalytic thinking—from Harry Stack Sullivan to Jacques Lacan; D.W. Winnicott to Melanie Klein—available for the first time. Richly illustrated with case examples, this lively, jargon-free introduction makes modern psychoanalytic thought accessible at last.  

Genres: Psychology, Psychoanalysis, Nonfiction, Philosophy, History, Psychiatry, Counselling

324 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Mohammad · Rating 4 out of 5]

از این کتاب دوتا ترجمه موجوده که من ترجمه آقای طهماسب رو ترجیح میدم.
همون‌طور که از اسم کتاب مشخصه درمورد افراد مهم در تاریخ روانکاوی بر اساس سیر زمانی توضیحاتی داده می‌شه.
دو فصل آخر کتاب شامل اختلافات تکنیکی و نظری است که رهیافت های مختلف روانکاوی رو باهم مقایسه می‌کنه.
خوندن کتابش واقعا راحت نبود و یجورایی سخت خوانه یعنی اگر ادمی باشید که آشنایی با روانکاوی و روانشناسی نداشته باشید قطعا تو خوندن کتاب مشکل پیدا می‌کنید.
من خودم به شخصه بعضی از جاهارو متوجه نمی‌شدم.
کتاب از بنیانگذار روانکاوی یعنی فروید شروع می‌کنه و تا لکان پیش می‌ره.
ترجمه آقای طهماسب خیلی کامل هست. فقط نزدیک به پنجاه صفحه مقدمه و پیشگفتار هست. در اخر کتاب اصطلاحات و لغات توضیح داده شده و ضمیمه‌ای از مترجمان هم وجود داره.
تنها مشکل این کتاب می‌تونه قیمت بالاش و سخت‌خوان بودنش باشه( که البته ممکنه شما خیلی راحت با کتاب ارتباط برقرار کنید. بالاخره ادم با ادم فرق داره.)
با یک بار خوندن نمیشه ازین کتاب گذشت و بارها باید بهش مراجعه کرد.

هانس لوئِوالد می‌گه:
باید اذعان کرد که روانکاوی، عجالتاً رشته‌ای است نامنضبط و همچنان در جستجوی راه خویش.

[Paul Ataua · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted a fairly accessible refresher on psychoanalytic thought before tackling Jacques Lacan and this book gave me everything I wanted and more. It did a fairly good job of starting with the early Freud , moving through the ego psychologists, the object relations school, psychologies of identity, contemporary revisionists, and ended with a short piece on Lacan. I feel a little braver about the journey to come thanks to this.

[Rika-sama · Rating 1 out of 5]

It seems very interesting to me that a lot of people have called this book quite 'accessible', personally I though it was almost unreadable. 'Did not like it' is quite an understatement. Most of the descriptions are very abstract and it seems to me that the writer had trouble organizing the content into a coherent whole, for me it lacks structure and clarity. I had no trouble at all putting it down, on the contrary, it was a struggle every time to pick it up again. I don't experience this often when reading. Additionally, most of my classmates had the same opinion about the book. Therefore I was really surprised that most GoodReads reviews were so positive.

[Morgan Blackledge · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the title implies. This is a brief comparative historical overview of psychoanalytic theory and practice. Beginning with (and anchored in) Freud, and ending in the American relational school that author Stephen Mitchel is most known for.

Out of all of Mitchel’s (fantastic) work. This is (in my opinion) his most accessible and (frankly) most enjoyable read. I have to attribute much of that to the books co-author Margaret J. Black.

According to Black’s CV, they are a majorly accomplished clinician, educator and intellectual. However, Black doesn’t have other books in psychoanalysis (that I am aware of) to compare with this book. Given that, comparing this book to Mitchel’s other (also fantastic) collaborations. This one is (in many respects) my favorite. As such, I have to assume that Black’s influence is an important part of why this book is so dang good.

Anyway.

If you’re looking for a great introduction to the various schools and debates within psychoanalytic theory and practice. And/or a great introduction to Steven A. Mitchel’s (absolutely crucial) body of work. This is it.

5/5 stars ⭐️

[Sheziss · Rating 4 out of 5]

La verdad es que se agradece que haya un libro así. El psicoanálisis es un mundo difícil de abarcar, y realmente muy complejo y variado, aunque se tienda a encasillar en la imagen del "simbolismo pueril" al que aludía Lovecraft.

Los propios autores mencionan la complicada tarea de resumir y hacer accesible al público los conceptos que se van sucediendo a lo largo de la historia del psicoanálisis. Me ha aportado mucho conocimiento y estructura del tema, aunque imagino que el resultado no habrá quedado a gusto de todo el mundo.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful and detailed primer on different psychodynamic ways of thinking. Mitchell and Black explain each theory nicely, and seem to walk a fine line, never vilifying or damning theories, instead stating the differences. It is an excellent review of the different dynamic ways of thinking and I believe, should be read in graduate level courses on psychoanalysis.

[Ian Felton · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://psychologistcoder.com/2017/12/...

When it comes to Freud, many have little to no understanding of him, or a simplistic understanding of his relationship to psychotherapy. When I’ve mentioned Freud to some of my educated friends, they scoff, roll their eyes, or mutter something about “penis envy.” While it’s true that many of Freud’s ideas have been discarded or modified, the core of Freud’s genius is in tact. Whether we like it or not, we still live in Freud’s world. In “Freud and Beyond” the late Stephen Mitchell and still-alive Margaret Black take on the history of Freud’s ideas and how his impact has rippled through the psychoanalytic profession.

Like many worthwhile books, the lessons can be summarized succinctly. In Mitchell and Black’s work, “Clinical psychoanalysis is most fundamentally about people and their difficulties in living, about a relationship that is committed to deeper self-understanding, a richer sense of personal meaning, and a greater degree of freedom,” is that summary.

While there is much to debate dialectically regarding psychoanalytic concepts, Mitchell and Black make the case for why psychoanalysis is still as relevant as ever. Starting with Freud himself, the authors take the reader on a journey from the inception of the unconscious and Freud’s theories, through other theories: ego psychology, interpersonal, Kleinian, Object relations, identity and self, and contemporary conceptions. By the end of the book, the reader has not only been exposed to the trajectory of psychoanalytic thinking, but has also read about the current dialectics regarding theory and technique.

By the end of the book, I crystallized some synthesis of my leanings. I feel that in general, an interpersonal stance resonates with me the most. Ditching two of the most problematic aspects of core-Freudian theory: the body-centered conceptualizations as well as the psychoanalyst as expert, I found myself able to nod approvingly to much of how interpersonal psychoanalysis was presented. People aren’t consistent. They are enacted idiosyncratically as a function that encompasses environment, actors, and the psychophysiology of the organism. Interpersonal psychoanalysis accounts for that and more. We are constructed. Our illusions serve us for survival in an ever-changing world. Psychotherapists can never be an “expert” when confronted with such an overwhelming amount of information that currently even a supercomputer cannot synthesize.

Most of the controversies in psychoanalysis can only be taken seriously as a matter of emphasis. It’s not nature vs. nuture, external vs. internal, trauma vs. fantasy. It’s nature and nurture. Internal and external. Trauma and fantasy. Each person is part of a mutually specified environment. The person acts on the environment and the environment acts on the person. Internal and external are perpetually at work. Inside the person is a network of biological subsystems that are known to be amazingly complex, yet are still largely not understood.

As a result of the overwhelming complexity of the environment and internal workings of the brain, the psychoanalyst must depend upon critical information that is essential to modern psychoanalysis. Modern psychoanalysis depends upon transference and countertransference. How the patient makes the therapist feel must be considered as a point of exploration. What defenses and history the therapist carries must also be considered. It would be a stretch for psychoanalysis to be considered empirical. A hermeneutic conceptualization is the only alternative to an approach that sabotages it’s credibility by proclaiming a quantifiable, measurable process to exist when it certainly does not.

By now, I’m interjecting my own dialectical responses and would prefer the reader to make up their own mind. If you read the book, you will have plenty to think about.

Ian Felton

[Arash Farzaneh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply loved this book! It is informative, insightful and very well-written! There's a wealth of information that is clearly outlined and presented here. If you are curious about or interested in psychoanalysis or mental health and psychology in general, I would highly recommend this book. My only regret is that the book could be longer, while I would have also liked them to mention and present the ideas and theories of Carl Gustav Jung.

Freud and Beyond gives a great survey and overview of general trends and movements within the field of psychoanalysis. In fact, many people have preconceived and sometimes erroneous or incomplete information about it. Sigmund Freud was the definite starting point and father of psychoanalysis but he is certainly not the end point, nor should one disregard or ignore the myriad daughters and sons who have built upon as well as around his astounding legacy!

[Michael A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear, concise. Good introductory primer. Great bibliography.

[Zuzana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't think of a darker view on the human mind.

[Mason Fraley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really fantastic introduction to the history/development of major concepts in psychodynamics/analysis. Will definitely be recommending to others.

Loved the whole book except the chapter on the revisionists, and not because it was poorly written but because Lacan is a pretentious moron and having to drag my eyes through descriptions of his sophistry was insufferable.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

The blurb on the book jacket is right, this book is quite "accessible". For its accessibility, though, it was also intellectually sophisticated enough to not come across as a "pop" history of psychoanalysis. For all its sophistication, it does not come across as a "for professionals only" kind of read, as many of the philosophy books I face do. My only criticism is that for some reason or other, a figure as significant (and popularly known) as Carl Jung gets the short shrift, not to mention the likes of Erich Fromm, Carl Rogers, Wilhelm Reich, and Konrad Lorenz. The book claims to just be about Freud and all the psychoanalytic movements that are considered successors of the original Freudian paradigm (I always though Jung was at least roughly in that Cannon). If I were to speculate, I would suspect some political agenda behind the exclusion, much the same way analytic philosophers neglect to mention continental philosophy outside the context of history or of "mistakes to avoid". Perhaps the title is just a little too accurate. Bottom line; quite good at what it talks about, but as a general reader you may feel there are gaps in the history it presents, and will want to look elsewhere for your intro to Jung and company.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Klein's formulation of envy, there is an attack on an object; in the case of the original paradigm of the infant at the breast, the infant destroys the breast and spoils its contents. Bion's early efforts to grasp the origins and nature of schizophrenic thought and language, so striking in their fragmentation and apparent meaninglessness, led him to feel that a connection existed between schizophrenic fragmentation and the kind of envious attacks described by Klein, but that what was attacked was not only the object itself but the part of the child's own mind that was connected to the object and reality in general. The envious infant experiences her whole link to the object as unbearably painful, and therefore attacks not just the breast, but her own mental capacities that connect her to the breast, Bion theorized. There is not only a fantasied attack on the object, ripping it to shreds, but an attack on the infant's own perceptual and cognitive apparatus, destroying her capacity to perceive and understand reality in general, her capacity to make meaningful connections with others. Envy, for Bion, became a kind of psychological autoimmunological disorder, an attack by the mind on itself.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful introduction and overview of psychoanalytic thinking. Makes things accessible through careful building of terminology with application to cases to bring it to life.
Highly recommended for anyone who wants an introduction to the subject. It was great for me as a Psychiatry resident but think it would be suitable for the motivated lay audience or someone undergoing therapy themselves.

[Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

The information is very dense, and the author's wrting style sometimes make it hard to understand. However, a very comprehensive summary of the classical and contemporary psychodynamic theories. I found the presented cases very interesting and insightful.

[Ben Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book that looks at the schools of thought in the discipline of psychoanalysis, particularly the post-Freudian schools of thought.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feels like a very readable/digestible survey of dense concepts for a beginner like me—really appreciated the acknowledgement of dissent within the field and also how the field has evolved with the changing times.

[Katja · Rating 4 out of 5]

informative and accessible, though i came into it with a fair bit of background knowledge on the subject. loved the sections on lacan and klein in particular.

[Aj Jansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The authors do a great job of giving an overview of psychoanalytic therapy, how it started and where it is now. As someone exploring this area, I found it very helpful to give me a deeper understanding of the different theories.

[Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ambitious work that doesn't quite do it. The language is often much too abstract and dense. I've reread this several time, and still find it just as hard to follow. The authors I have read on here (Sullivan, Horney, Fromm, Erikson, A. Freud) all do a much better job explaining their work in their own books and are far more interesting in their own words. Perhaps the same can be said for the rest.

Besides style, my main complaint with this book is it's presented as though there has been a steady and balanced progression from the early days of psychoanalysis until present. Most of these figures made their names by breaking with the dogmatic traditions of psychoanalysis, but there's no feeling for that here; it's just business as usual. There is no mention of either Jung or Adler - striking absences. They're role in the history of psychoanalysis is worthy or mentioning, even if it were only to discount their relevance. I think that illustrates this feeling I have reading it - that the story has been sanitized and the accounts are biased to the point of being wholly untrustworthy.

What stood out were the last two chapters, discussing issues in technique and issues in theory. I would like to have learned more, but once again they writing was dense and did more to confuse the material than to clarify it.

[Arjun Ravichandran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Competently-written introduction of the main branches of psychoanalytic theory, stemming from Freud. The authors, in fact, make the organic growth explicit, by re-iterating Freud's views at the beginning of the chapter before explaining how the theorist in question diverged from the orthodox viewpoint.
The number of different viewpoints can be surprising to someone who assumed that Freud was psychoanalysis and vice versa ; but Freud died 70 years ago and other, equally brilliant minds, have expanded the basic tenets of psychoanalysis almost beyond recognition. This can be a bit disconcerting ; I learnt that all one could say the various schools of thought of psychoanalysis had in common were just the following :

1)There is an unconscious mind which makes the conscious mind its bitch.

2)Early childhood is fundamentally important, especially the relationship with the mother.

But that's about it ; beyond these two criteria, there is a wide variety of viewpoints, all of them explained competently. However, the writing is a little dour. You don't expect to get bored by a book on psychology, but the authors somehow managed to accomplish this for a few pages here and there. Also, there is a complete exclusion of Jung's theories that is inexplicable.
All in all a solid read and a decent overview.

[Tom Syverson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent run-down of the history of psychoanalytic theory. It's not the easiest book to get through, but ultimately it's a highly worthwhile read.

For me, certain schools of psychoanalysis are far more interesting than others; unfortunately, this doesn't always correspond to the length of the chapter covering it. Inevitably, this means that you're going to be stuck reading about some stuff that doesn't interest you as much. Correspondingly, you're stuck with the feeling that not enough attention is being paid to the "good stuff."

But that's a problem inherent in a book of this breadth, which doesn't aim to be exhaustive on any topic. Rather, you're getting a broad cross-section of all the major stuff out there (although I'd welcome a new edition that incorporates a chapter on Hyman Spotniz and modern psychoanalysis).

At times the writing is a bit unclear or just difficult to understand, but on the whole the authors speak in plain language and use straightforward clinical examples to illustrate the theory.

Recommended for anyone truly interested in the many divisions and reinterpretations of psychoanalysis that have occurred since Freud. It leaves you with the interesting notion that while psychoanalysis is not all about Freud, it kind of is all about Freud.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephen Mitchell is a really good writer, and this is his most accessible book (though I haven't read his last one, I've read all the others). He wrote this book with his wife, who I've never read before, and I'm going to assume he wrote most of it.

I read this before going to the institute, and after. I'm on the last two chapters but it's a really good summary of recent developments, and if you can get past the Freud chapters, it's probably the one book on psychoanalysis I would recommend, if you could only read one book.

Rereading it, I got a deeper appreciation of the issues Mitchell and Black grapple with. Things have changed so quickly within the psychoanalytic world, it's amazing and there's a lot going on. This book is a good summary of it. Mitchell is one of the great minds of psychoanalysis.

[Jan Goericke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't know much about psychoanalysis and want to know what it is all about? Want to know what has been done in the field since Sigmund Freud? This book is an exceptionally well done introduction to the field. The authors start with an explanation of Sigmund Freud's initial work and then progress along in time to the present day highlighting key contributors and directions in the field. Case studies of various patients illustrate the work of various lines of thoughts within the psychoanalytic community. The language of the book is such that novice readers (i.e., to the field of psychoanalysis) can understand and follow. Highly recommended! A joy to read!

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy-to-read introduction to the major thinkers in psychoanalytic therapy. A variety of schools are covered and the authors make a point of always tying each thinker's contributions back to their Freudian roots. It definitely paints the picture of a fractured field, but, due to presentation, offers the potential for an integrative approach. Very much worth the read for anyone even remotely interested in the field and is recommended for anyone interested in therapy, even if they are not interested in the psychoanalytic/psychodynamic approach.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephen Mitchell is a pleasure to read, especially in light of the verbosity, complexity or cryptic nature of the writing of many of the thinkers that he has distilled in this book (e.g. Lacan, Kohut). Mitchell offers clear and simple summaries of object relations, drive theory, self psychology and other primary concepts/branches of psychoanalysis. After reading Freud's "Intro to Psychoanalysis" and this book, I feel like I have fair base to build on to dive more specifically into any of the main psychoanalytic schools of thought. I'll be adding more Mitchell to my reading list.

[Michael Sasson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning. Super helpful. The ability to share outlines of how so many deep thinkers and practitioners viewed therapeutic work and emotional/mental experience is incredibly impressive especially when the author is able to bring up previously discussed theorists to compare and contrast with the current school that is being discussed.

I have to admit I don't have clear memory of each of the schools and their differences but when it is relevant I will definitely know where to look.

My one disappointment was that Bowlby was given such little attention.

[Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is the book that you wish existed in every field.

stephen mitchell and margaret black join are such lucid explicators. they are hereby inducted into the iris marion young club.

and just when you're about to stop caring viz. some of the weirder, dated offshots of psychoanalytic theory, compelling case snippets elucidate what they look like in practice, how they might help real struggling human beings. yum. total heartwarming intellectual yum.

[Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written both for the casual inquirer and the seasoned expert, this text is designed to do just what the title envisions—to begin with Freudian psychoanalytical thought as it first developed in the late 19th and early 20th century, and beyond—to successors who challenged, built upon, praised, and strayed into different directions from Freud. At times this book was difficult to track, but I enjoyed the authors’ inclusion of clinical tales paired with the topic or theory in discussion.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delight to read: it is hard to put down and not let its appeal interfer with work. Mitchell is a gifted writer who can explain the difficult in delightful prose. His descriptions glide over the page and you are spurred on to learn more. He manages to cover most of the development and ideas of psychoanalysis from its beginnings with Freud to the present. A rare find.