Interpretation of Schizophrenia. 2nd edition. By Silvano Arieti. New York:  Basic Books. 1974.

According to Arieti, this second edition of his massive compendium on schizophrenia has been almost completely rewritten and contains “new sections that may be useful to the beginner. These include the manifest symptomalogy of the disoder, its sociocultural and epidemiological aspects, prevention of the psychosis, and genetic and other somatic studies [p. vii].” Only an exhaustive review could presume to deal adequately with this book, which is certainly essential reading for students of modern psychoanalysis, the techniques of which were evolved from the treatment of schizophrenics. Arieti's own therapeutic approach can

be considered as consisting of four aspects: (1) establishment of relatedness …(2) specific treatment of psychotic mechanisms …(3) psychodynamic analysis: recognition of unconscious motivation and insight into the psychological components of the disorder … and (4) general participation in patient's life, in some cases with the use of a therapeutic assistant or a psychiatric nurse [pp. 546-547].

This approach differs markedly from that of modern psychoanalysis in two respects: Arieti recommends that when establishing a relationship of trust with a patient, the analyst should offer a greater amount of warmth and more verbal gratification than modern analysts usually consider optimum for the development of a narcissistic transference. In psychodynamic analysis of the patient, Arieti recommends more frequent use of interpretations than modern analysts tend to practice. For example:

The fear, the mistrust, the experiencing of others as monstrous powers and of the world at large as an unbearable pressure from which the patient wants to withdraw in order

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not to be crushed, are discussed at an advanced stage of treatment … What we offer is not just an interpretation but also a feeling of understanding and willingness to share some views of the world and to correct others [pp. 590-591].

Those who use Spontnitzian techniques when dealing with schizophrenics sho