Observing that problems of style have been neglected by psychoanalysis, the author makes a preliminary attempt to describe it for psychoanalytic purposes. He defines style as a 'progressing synthesis of form and content in an individually typical manner and according to the individual's sense of "appropriateness"'. It is also one of the most constant aspects of the expressive activity of an individual. Involved in style are personal mental contents, the individual's sense of appropriateness, the synthetic and differentiating functions of the ego, and the use of conventional forms of expressive media so that a recipient may participate in the message. Following a discussion of style in literature and art, Rosen suggests ways in which psychoanalysis may contribute to it and also derive benefits of both a practical and theoretical nature. He gives three examples of 'stylistic defenses' in psychoanalytic work and describes disturbances in style as evidence of disturbances in the synthetic function of the ego.