Psycho-analysis

STREET, LONDON, W. 1939 TO THE MEMORY OF SIGMUND FREUD PREFACE The task of condensing the theory and practice of psycho analysis within the space available in a monograph series is by no means easy. It is hoped that the present outline will give the practitioner some idea of the existing scope and future possibilities of this science. For obvious reasons stress has been laid on what might be called the more conventional aspects of clinical psychology, such as, for example, the somatic manifestations of psychic disorder. Some indication has been given, however, that clinical psycho-analysis concerns itself with a number of subjects which are not usually regarded as medical. Indeed it is no cxaggciiuion to say that it has advanced the frontiers of medicine to include many of the territories of individual and social psychology. In so doing it has added con siderably to the labours and responsibilities of the general practitioner. For the convenience of those who wish to follow up the subject a list of recommended books has been added. EDWARD GLOVER. CONTENTS CHAP. PACK I. Introductory --------1 SECTION I II. The Kmbi oloijv of Mind -----9 III. The Dynamic Aspects of Mind - - - - 17 IV. The Structure of Mind ------31 V. The Economics of Mind -------40 VI. Phases of Mental Development 50 VII. Dreams and Symptomatic Acts -----57 VIII. Symptom Formation ------62 SECTION II IX. Introductory --------69 X. Psychoneuroses --, 72 XL Psychoses ---------83 XII. Transitional Groups -------93 XIII. Psychosexual Disorders - - -----96 XIV. Social Difficulties -------104 XV. Psycho-analysis of Children - - - - - 110 SECTION III XVI. Practical Applications - - - - - - 117 Books Recommended - - - - - - 134Index ----------136 PSYCHO-ANALYSIS CHAPTER I INTRODUCTORY Although the incidence of psychological disorders in general practice has never been accurately estimated, there is no doubt that they are of extremely common occurrence. In whatever form they may appear, whether as pure neuroses for example, or as psychological complications of organic illness, they provide the general practitioner with some of the most harassing of his therapeutic problems. Partly for this reason and partly because the name itself suggests a technical method, psycho-analysis is regarded by most practitioners simply as one of a number of thera peutic methods to which recourse may be had when the more customary procedures of organic medicine have been tried without success. The popular association of psycho therapy with the names of Freud, Jung and Adler is calcu lated to reinforce this somewhat restricted view. It is, of course, true that . psycho-analysis was originally developed by Professor Freud as a method of treating the psycho neuroses, in particular hysteria and the obsessional neuroses And it is still the most radical procedure that can be adopted in such cases. But within the last twenty years it has come to be applied to a great variety of abnormalities of character, to a number of social and sexual difficulties, to the mental disorders of children and, in more recent times, to various forms of psychosis, particularly the manic-depressive group. During the same period the number of so-called normal individuals investigated by means of psycho-analysis has greatly increased. As a result 1 2 PSYCHO-ANALYSIS of these investigations it has been established that even the most bizarre forms of mentaldisorder are, in a sense, caricatures of normal mental mechanisms or formations. Moreover, there are a number of peculiarities in conduct which lie between the apparently normal and the glaringly abnormal. These are rarely seen in hospital but are a frequent source of difficulty in general practice either because they interfere with the individuals social and working capacities or because they retard his recuperative processes during ordinary organic illness...