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The main body of this text remains essentially unaltered since its original publication in England, in 1928, and in the United States a year later. A final chapter has been added in which Jones delineates the most significant developments in psycho-analysis in the intervening period. With material that fills entire libraries to dispose of Jones has had to omit much of importance but he accomplishes the task of judicious selection and achieves succintness of presentation without sacrifice of clarity.
It is hardly feasible to summarize here the already highly condensed account of the basic findings and postulates of psycho-analysis that is offered in this book but it is reassuring, in this current era of analytic controversy and apostasy, to learn from this account how little modification the basic formulations have required with the passage of time, how the foundation stands firm though the superstructure may vary in this detail or that.
Regarding the developments of the last twenty years, Jones regards the following as especially significant: the contributions of Melanie Klein, with her specialized technique for child analysis, her concept of very early Oedipus complex and super-ego formation, and her stress on infantile aggressiveness; the culturalist approach to personality study, typified by Karen Horney; the application of analytic methods to psychosomatic problems and to the psychoses; the challenge to Freud's unflattering psychology of women; the detailed study of the ego and its mechanisms of defence made by Anna Freud; the formulation of a death instinct; and the further application of psycho-analysis for the elucidation of problems in the sphere of politics and sociology.
It is somewhat surprising to note that the terms, 'repression' and 'suppression' are used interchangeably in this book, without distinction as to whether the motivation is conscious or unconscious in a given case. Also, that the description of the psyche in terms of conscious, preconsciou