Bernfeld summarizes and criticizes the view put forward by various authors during the last seven years in 'the leading official scientific publications of Soviet Russia "Unter dem Banner des Marxismus"'.

He considers the view that psycho-analysis is a philosophy or ideology, and as such can be judged according to the economic circumstances of its discovery. Psycho-analysis is a science and though it may be in part the product of social and economic factors its validity is to be judged by other standards. The question whether psycho-analysis is purely a psychology of the individual and can therefore make no contribution to sociological science is also advanced. The previous article by Reich in the same number is also subjected to criticism.