The author points out that certain neuroses or psychoses are characterized by certain types of fantasy objects. The recognition of these types and of their changes is very helpful for the understanding of the clinical picture as well as for diagnosis and prognosis. Rapoport discriminates between 'internalized' and 'less internalized' parents. Generally he finds fantasy objects of the latter type in neurosis, while the psychotic cases tend to fantasy objects which are 'bizarre and markedly dissociated from reality'. The material presented is occasionally brought out through direct questioning such as: 'What have you within your body?', or, 'Have you a little person inside of you?'.

In his explanations of the material Rapoport follows closely the English school of thought, particularly Melanie Klein and Susan Isaacs. We miss the analytic material which should support his very interesting discussion and hope that he will be able to fill in this gap in the future.