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This book is addressed to the layman by the publishers and to the scientist by the author. It is not surprising, therefore, to find much in it that is worthy of close study by psycho-analysts and, in particular, on what might be called applied psycho-analysis in the fields of diagnosis, treatment, prevention and research. The case material and the discussions on treatment and prevention are particularly useful to analysts who deal with delinquents.
It is not a text-book, since some psycho-analytic views are left out, e.g. those of Melanie Klein and her co-workers, and the analytic theory given is, in the main, that of Freud and Anna Freud and her co-workers.
The book begins with a brief account of relevant aspects of the basic psycho-analytic theory of development. This is good, but suffers from its brevity at times, e.g. the account of instinct theory is puzzling and will befog the layman, and the differentiation between conscience and Super-Ego could have been clearer. Some analysts may feel that the developmental stages of the Ego and Super-Ego are placed too late in life. The discussion of the nature of the influence of pedagogic factors in the latency period and later, shows how some types of anti-social character with Ego disturbances may be treated successfully by an analytic approach combined with pedagogy and with help from the analyst in improving parental attitudes, and so on. This therapeutic method would have a good deal of support from practical experience at the Institute for the Scientific Treatment of Delinquency, where much of the author's material was obtained.
The second section deals with the analytic clinical presentation and discussion of actual case material. The layman will find some of the details of the analytic diagnoses hard to follow, but the author has made it possible for him to do so if he will think carefully and remember what has been written in the first part. This is reasonable, since the book was written for the serious wor