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DESPITE the most untimely circumstance that occasioned this volume honoring Stephen Mitchell's contribution to our field, the subject matter itself is a very timely one. Never before in the history of psychoanalysis has it been as possible for practitioners from different theoretical orientations to engage in a respectful, mutually interesting and interested exchange of ideas as at the present moment. For my part, for the better part of the last decade I have been involved in a number of such clinical and theoretical interchanges, and I have also been attempting to gain a greater familiarity with the published work of colleagues whose training and point of view differ markedly from mine. Although I still strongly identify myself as a proponent of modern conflict theory (a direct derivative of traditional Freudian psychoanalysis), I also realize that I have been influenced by my immersion in a study of the thinking of others, including contemporary relational analysts. When one is embarked on such an intellectual journey, it is useful to pause from time to time, to check one's bearings and assess one's present position. I am grateful to the editors for the invitation to participate in this volume, which gives me reason to undertake such a review.
It seems to me that whenever I take a fresh look at my theoretical and clinical stance I come to slightly different conclusions about where I stand, and how I have arrived there. Make no mistake, I shall not claim to have made any radical revision of my thinking, or of my psychoanalytic priorities. The fundamental landscape of my theoretical countryside is unchanged. However, just as the sets of Monet paintings that show the same scene in different conditions of light serve to highlight both the similarities and the differences, I find that the illumination provided by other points of view often show me my familiar surroundings in new and interesting ways.
I think it may prove useful to begin my review with a brief historical