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On 8th November, 2014, the distinguished and pioneering American physician, psychiatrist, and psychoanalyst Dr Robert Joseph Langs died at his home in New York City, New York, at the age of eighty-six years, from amyloidosis, a rare blood disease. One of the most prolific authors in the entire history of psychoanalysis, Langs produced enough published works to fill a whole library wall. In sheer quantity alone, as author or editor of over fifty books, he certainly rivalled, and even exceeded, the output of Sigmund Freud, Carl Gustav Jung, and Donald Winnicott.
Robert Langs devoted his professional life to a detailed study of the vicissitudes of the treatment process, focusing, in particular, upon the fact that many psychoanalytical practitioners would often deviate from the basic ground rules of ‘secure frame’ clinical practice and, moreover, would fail to engage with the ways in which their patients criticised them in the form of encoded, unconscious communications. Langs averred that large numbers of clinicians, in spite of their lengthy trainings and dedication to good psychotherapeutic work, would often overlook or avoid the hidden meanings of their patients' narratives, and would neglect to listen truly with the famous ‘third ear’ that all good psychoanalytical mental health professionals require.
Over the course of nearly half a century, Langs continued to investigate the errors perpetrated by psychoanalytical and psychotherapeutic practitioners - which he referred to as ‘deviations’ - and he maintained a deep commitment to educating younger colleagues so that they would become increasingly adept at evaluating their own endeavours in a critical and incisive manner. His writings, his lectures, and his clinical workshops became legendary, and through his potent speaking style, Langs never failed to captivate his listeners.
A passionate advocate for improving the ethical base and the competencies of mental health practitioners, Langs spoke loudly and plainly about t