Review of the Recent Psycho-Analytical Literature in English

Those who have faith in the scientific truth of psycho-analytical principles, and who see in their study and application a vast field for the general enhancing of human happiness directly and indirectly, will realize with rightful satisfaction that in England and America substantial progress has been achieved in this psychological sphere during the past six years. In the latter country it has been specially marked (reference to the Bibliography will show how great the preponderance of American psycho-analytical literature has been as compared with British) perhaps because of a greater aptitude there for adopting new conceptions, though in Great Britain, undoubtedly, the investigation of neurotic disease arising through war experiences has forced the medical profession to cast away as useless old materialistic ideas and adopt psychological theories as a more rational explanation of its pathological basis. Mostly through the medical profession, psychologists have had to review their static conceptions with a more critical eye, with the result that slowly but surely they are seeing that their principles have in the past savoured too much of the armchair and have lacked that essentially humanistic element which Freud has made such an important factor. Great opposition though has continued to be evinced by many neurologists, psychiatrists, and psychologists. Nevertheless it is interesting to note that in much of the literature these opponents have penned, psycho-analytical terms are by no means sparsely found, though doubtless they would extensively rationalize their use. The concept of "repression" is freely spoken of, while the importance of dream life has become more or less universally recognized by those who have had dealings with war anxiety states. All this augurs well for the future of psycho-analytic progress. That such eminent psychologists as Stanley Hall and Putnam have so largely become adherents to these doctrines is gratifying. In America man