Psychoanalysis: Clinical and Theoretical, by Robert Wallerstein,  International Universities Press, 1999,  430 ps.

This volume consists of 15 previously published essays written by Dr. Wallerstein from 1981 to 1997. Loosely grouped under three section headings—“Clinical Papers,” “Theory: Critiques of Alexander, Anna Freud, Gill and Kohut,” and “The Psychoanalyses and the Psychotherapies”—these papers address topics as varied as what it means to be an analyst, why psychoanalysts generally do not participate in outcome studies, and how the corrective emotional experience might be evaluated by modern relational psychoanalysts. Taken separately, each of Dr. Wallerstein's essays is a scholarly investigation of a particular issue of concern to the modern psychoanalyst. Many of the essays begin with a problem posed by Dr. Wallerstein, who then engages in a theoretical debate before coming to a well-articulated position. He provides ample reviews of the pertinent literature and historical insights so that we can join him as he reaches his conclusions.

Since all of these essays were previously published, the reader may be familiar with some of them. What is most interesting, however, is how the sum is greater than its separate parts. When taken together, the essays in this book address some of the most fundamental issues facing contemporary psychoanalysis. Dr. Wallerstein is grappling with how the widening scope of psychoanalysis has affected its theory and practice, what the difference is between psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy, and how, in an age of psychoanalytic pluralism, we might come to define our identity as psychoanalysts. Much of what is written here has been informed by Dr. Wallerstein's experiences in the Psychotherapy Research Project of the Menninger Foundation, and by his continued belief in the necessity of ongoing research in psychoanalysis.

Throughout the essays there is an interweaving of themes. Issues that are salient appear in multiple essays in a variety of guises. Thus, the work of Anna Freud is highlighted in two essays: “Defenses, Defense Mechanism