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For me it was often thrilling to read this book, a collection of papers by Jungians, Freudians and object relations therapists, with a Foreword by David Scharff. The theory presented to support the practice and research of the Tavistock Institute of Marital Studies (TIMS) is a fusion of analytical psychology, developmental psychology and object relations theory. To witness the workings of this fertile mix, as it has contributed to the TIMS brand of couples psychotherapy, was a renewal for me. As an American, I too frequently find my colleagues, both Jungian and Freudian, puzzled about the interface between analytical psychology and object relations. Is there really such an interface? How does it work? I hope the answers to these questions will emerge in this review.
In the Foreword, David Scharff reviews the theoretical perspective of the volume: … the concepts of projective and introjective identification, the way that spouses re-find lost parts of themselves in each other, the opportunities for growth and development for the individual in the context of marriage, and the concepts of container/contained - which are understood differently by W. R. Bion and C. G. Jung - are presented from the unique perspectives of the several thoughtful writers. (p. xiv)
The scope of the book covers everything from the intrapsychic or unconscious dynamics of couple relationships to the therapeutic approach, with the unconscious dynamics of marriage and couple getting the greater attention.