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The invitation to meet with you today in honor of the 1983 publication of this wonderful book evoked a wash of emotions and memories. Almost 30 years have passed since the publication of Object Relations in Psychoanalytic Theory. I would like to start by talking a little about these earlier years and Stephen's involvement in the field of psychoanalysis.
Stephen chose to train at the White Institute, I think, in part because of the rich intellectual tradition and culture of innovative thinking he found here. He appreciated the importance of contextualizing psychoanalysis—of the need to understand it in interaction with its culture—for example, with political philosophy, feminism, and semiotics. The intellectual integrity and boldness that allowed the founders of this Institute to start their own program, severing relations with New York Psychoanalytic, supported this rich culture and appealed, as well, to Stephen's skepticism of the simple value of playing by the rules, especially when the rules seemed inspired more by power issues than by content.
Stephen particularly enjoyed the diversity in the professional community at White: the feisty, warm intelligence of Geneva Goodrich, the thoughtful developmental perspective of David Schechter, the bold writings of Leslie Farber, the powerful presence of Avrum Ben-Avi, the amazing clinical acumen and erudition of Edgar Levenson, and, of course, the wise and playful presence of Milt Zaphiropoulos. Milt was Stephen's analyst; I first nervously encountered him early in Stephen's training at an