Interpersonal Explorations in Psychoanalysis: Earl G. Witenberg, Ed.,  Basic Books, 1973,  365 pp., $12.50

H. S. Sullivan's interpersonal theory of psychiatry probably constitutes the most fruitful contribution to psychiatric theory and therapy since Freud. He has been described as the most original and creative of the American psychiatrists, and while he drew heavily on Freud, he also learned much from his contemporaries. He developed a consistent, complete theory of personality which concerns itself with the adaptability of the individual to others and to his culture. The growth of the individual into adulthood entails a successful passage through all the developmental eras, using the skills and knowledge gained at earlier periods of development. The ultimate elaboration of his theories of personality within an “interpersonal” framework reflected the strong influence of his social scientist colleagues and his talent and interest in science in general. More specifically, Sullivan was dissatisfied with those psychological theories which depended upon extensive extrapolations from hypotheses which themselves could not be tested. He was particularly impatient with those psychoanalytic concepts which could not be validated because they were based on experiences which were beyond recall or because they required prior acceptance of certain variables, such as the aggressive or death instinct, as universal human attributes. Consequently, he insisted on formulating his concepts entirely from observable data.

Interpersonal Explorations in Psychoanalysis presents the richness of Sullivan's influences less than a quarter of a century after his death. It is a collection of articles delivered by the faculty of the William Alanson White Psychoanalytic Institute in New York on the occasion of their 25th Anniversary Symposium. The authors are outstanding leaders and theoreticians in psychoanalysis and have published scores of books and articles. They include Erich Fromm, Ernest Schachtel, Silvano Arieti, John L. Schimel, Ruth Moulton, Otto Will, Rollo May, Leon Edel, and others.

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