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In the last two decades of the twentieth century the relational movement gave American psychoanalysis a much needed shot in the arm. The borders of this movement were not clearly circumscribed, and the contributors to relational thinking did not always think of themselves as relational theorists. Nevertheless, despite the somewhat amorphous shape of the burgeoning movement, relational thinking has been instrumental in creating an intellectual renaissance in American psychoanalysis. The challenges posed by relational analysts have caused most American psychoanalysts to rethink their positions on major issues, and the result has been perhaps the most exciting era in which to be an analyst in a long, long time.
Stephen A. Mitchell and Lewis Aron have been two of the leading lights in the relational movement, and it was their splendid idea to bring together in one volume a number of its seminal contributions. They have succeeded admirably and have produced a superb starting point for analysts wishing to familiarize themselves with the core concepts of relational thinking. The book could also serve as a text for a seminar in relational psychoanalysis.
In their preface the editors assist the reader by mapping out the territory subsumed under the relational rubric. They acknowledge debts to self psychology, intersubjectivity theory, social constructivism, interpersonal psychoanalysis, object relations theory, hermeneutics, feminist psychoanalytic writing, and the work of Ferenczi. They also clarify that relational psychoanalysts do not address phenomena different from those explored by the drive/defense model; rather, they offer alternative understandings of the same phenomena. The editors also take pains to distinguish constructivist thought that is relevant to psychoanalysis from the constructivism associated with gender and