On Freud's "Analysis Terminable and Interminable"

by Joseph Sandler (Editor), Ethel Spector Person (Introduction), Peter Fonagy (Introduction)

Analysis Terminable and Interminable is considered Freud’s clinical legacy, summing up his sense of the potential and the limitations of psychoanalysis as a therapeutic technique. Though many have regarded this essay as pessimistic in tone, it has also been lauded for its realism and for its hard-headed look at why therapy’s actual outcome must always fall short of the ideal.

The contributors to this volume discuss Freud’s essay from many they place it in historical perspective (written in 1937, it reflects Freud’s exposure to the savagery of Nazism); situate it in terms of Freud’s personal suffering (the death of loved ones, the chronic pain of cancer); and relate his insights and observations to the major theoretical issues of the period. Most important, this volume relates Freud’s essay to current issues in technique and to controversies arising from different theoretical perspectives.

An introduction to the volume, written by Joseph Sandler, Ethel Person, and Peter Fonagy, provides a succinct overview of the material. The book will be an invaluable teaching tool for psychoanalytic therapists of diverse backgrounds.

193 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1991

Reviews

[Bruce]

Placed on request for acquisition by our library, which seems to only have Freud's more famous early works and a number of biographies... I promise I will get to this, AC, I really do.

[AC · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the very best (meaning my favorite) widely unread papers of Freud....