Fordham's pioneering work to establish transference-based Jungian child and adult analysis is described. His theory of the primary self and its relevance to individuation processes, its connection to the depressive position and the way this changed and enriched Jung's original formulations are explored. The implications of his original theory are discussed in relation to actions of the self. The self as a field theory and his description of and work on autism as a disorder of the self are outlined. Fordham's editorial and publishing achievements are described and his energetic leadership of the Society of Analytical Psychology is discussed. His work on countertransference and transference in the analysis of adults is outlined in relation to Jung's reluctance to foster investigation of technique. Fordham's integration of the psychoanalytic concept of projective identification is linked to Jung's work on the importance of ‘not knowing beforehand’ when beginning an analytic session.