Freudian Thought for the Contemporary Clinician

by Robert Mendelsohn

This book uses clear language, modern contexts and key psychoanalytic concepts to exemplify how Sigmund Freud’s thinking and legacy is directly relevant to contemporary therapists. Interweaving theory with history, Freudian Thought for the Contemporary Clinician allows readers to take a walk in Freud’s shoes, offering a new framework for understanding his arcane language and the cultural mores of the early 20th century. Robert Mendelsohn explores topics including sexuality and gender, racial injustice and cultural differences with direct reference to Freud’s cases, demonstrating how traditional psychoanalytic ideas may inform solutions to issues we face today. Featuring clinical examples and philosophical explorations delivered in an accessible style, Freudian Thought for the Contemporary Clinician will be a key text for psychoanalytic clinicians in practice and in training. It will also be of great interest to academics and scholars of psychoanalytic studies, the history of psychology and the history of ideas.

194 pages, Paperback

Published November 2, 2021

Reviews

[Michael Kulyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very clearly written account of classical Freudian theory. The book is based on a series of lectures given by the author to first year clinical psychology doctoral candidates at Adelphi University in the United States.
The lectures cover a variety of topics including the developmental stages of personality, dreams, the unconscious and its mechanisms as well as psychopathology including a discussion of some of Freud's main case histories.
I'm however giving this book four stars and not five for the simple reason that the author hardly covers Freud's main contribution, the Oedipus complex and its ensuing conflicts for the the boy and girl. Whilst I accept that there are areas of this complex as described by Freud that don't sit well with contemporary views on equality and inclusion they should be included and openly discussed. Still this is a very good book for anyone who knows little about Freud.
In order to compensate for the above lack I recommend Robert caper's book 'Immaterial Facts; Freud's Discovery of Psychic Reality and Klein's Development of his Work'. This book really goes into Freud's conception of the Oedipal dynamics and Melanie Klein's further development of his ideas extending the 'Oedipal Situation' to the oral phase of infancy and how this colours the later stages.