You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
The aim of this book, No. 1 of Psycho-Analytic Epitomes, as stated in the preface, is a presentation of the general theory of psychoanalysis, i.e., the theories 'regarding the interplay of the forces of instinct in the human mind, the mechanisms employed in this interplay and the principles governing the reduction of "tension" or strain in the mind. It deals also with the topography of the mental apparatus, particularly in respect to those parts of the mind that are concerned with instinct-impulses, with consciousness, with conscience and with the regulating or executive mental functions… No attempt has been made to include the evidence on which the theories have been built up, i.e., there are no case histories; nor are highly technical discussions included, since these cannot be adequately grasped, still less judged, apart from the details of the case material.' The chapters are dated in order to show the development of Freud's thought in regard to analytic theory. The Group Psychology is included as an example of the application of the theory to a psychological problem.
The book contains the following of Freud's papers: The Origin and Development of Psycho-Analysis, Formulations Regarding the Two Principles in Mental Functioning, A Note on the Unconscious in Psycho-Analysis, Negation, A General Etiological Formula, Types of Neurotic Nosogenesis, Instincts and their Vicissitudes, Repression, Some Character-Types Met with in Psycho-Analytic Work, On Narcissism: an Introduction, Mourning and Melancholia, Beyond the Pleasure Principle, Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego, The Ego and the Id, Inhibitions, Symptoms and Anxiety.
The first chapter contains the five lectures given by Freud at Clark University in 1909, thus making them more easily accessible in English. There is a chronological list of the English translations of Freud's works up to July 1937. The index is in the form of a semi-glossary for the lay reader. A glance at the contents shows, how