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Humberto Nagera has made a distinct scholarly contribution to the literature on the obsessional neuroses in this slim volume. Those familiar with his work will expect the rigorous exposition of classical theory that is his hallmark. Over half of the book is a fine, systematized review of classical psychoanalytic literature on the obsessional neuroses, especially noteworthy in its excellent organization and presentation of Freud's evolving views. Of particular value to the student and researcher is the arrangement of this review into topical groupings which makes easy the tracing of Freud's theoretical development of specific phenomena and themes.
His coverage of later classical contributors who extended and elaborated on Freud's views is similarly comprehensive and thoughtful, and underscores how little change there has been in the classical approach to understanding this form of character pathology since Freud.
Nagera's coverage of post-Freudian approaches to the problem is skimpy, and I feel that he understands them poorly. He makes no mention of the considerable contributions of Horney, Fromm, and Sullivan to the understanding of the obsessional, and seems to miss the central points made by those few recent post-Freudian contributors he does review.
The latter half of the book contains extended clinical examples instructive in the libidinal, instinct vs. drive approach to describing obsessional phenomena. Most disappointing to me was the final section in which he presents his own views and personal contributions. This section is so abbreviated that these amount to mere suggestions for an even more detailed subdivision of instinctual representations in children and a schema of diagnosis based on libidinal organization and fixations.
In summary, I believe that Nagera's book is an essential addition to the library of any psychoanalyst interested in the obsessional neuroses and the evolution of theory and practice. While I believe it is unfortunately truncated, both in i