In this outstanding collection of related papers the author's special territory is childhood psychosis and autism. By focusing on her work with a particular patient, Robbie, whom she has treated from the age of eight to thirty one, Alvarez interweaves a range of therapeutic concerns and demonstrates major developments in applied psychoanalysis and her own significant contribution.

Alvarez writes of seeking to integrate psychoanalytic theory and practice with the findings of psychological research. What is also implicitly integrated is a third factor