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This lucid and elegantly written book appeared shortly before Stephen Mitchell's untimely death. Mitchell's passing is a real blow to the continuing development of psychoanalytic thought; fortunately, he leaves a substantial body of published work, including Relationality: From Attachment to Intersubjectivity. Offering what is perhaps the most complete exposition of the principles of relational psychoanalysis currently available, this book is a pleasure to read. Mitchell was a sensitive, compassionate and thoughtful psychoanalytic clinician who cared deeply about his patients and his work with them. This impression comes through clearly and unmistakably throughout the volume.
In Relationality, Mitchell further develops a theoretical point of view that immeasurably enriches psychoanalytic thinking and contributes fruitfully to the ongoing dialogue about the nature of therapeutic action in psychoanalysis. Conventionally, the psychoanalytic process has been conceptualized as a medium in which the mental processes and content of the patient unfold and are understood and interpreted by the analyst in an objective way. The relational perspective conceptualizes the analytic relationship as a more personal relationship that, in and of itself, has a fundamental transformative role. As Eagle, Wolitzky, and Wakefield (2001) state, “The relational view has helped dismantle the myth that the analyst is a purely objective observer; made us more aware of the subtle and complex interactions between patient and analyst; and highlighted the role of the analyst's idiosyncratic style, history, and biases in his or her understanding of the patient” (p. 485). Greater attention is given to the analyst's contribution and to his or her participation in the development of the patient's transferences. Particularly useful is the relational perspective's emphasis on the meaning of hidden interaction in analysis and therapy, and