The history of science shows that from time to time new paradigms or theoretical frameworks appear which for a period provide model problems and solutions to the practitioners of the science. Eventually, however, the paradigms become confining and hinder progress. At the present time both scientific textbook teaching and the teaching at psychoanalytic institutes appears 'paradigm-bound' or opposed to novelty of approach. This also appears true of a large number of current contributions in the psychoanalytic literature. Whether Hartmann's broadened concept of structure over that of Freud is a new paradigm rather than but a paradigm shift is uncertain at present. What we may need in the coming years is a return to basic ideas and a deeper understanding of fundamentals before a new paradigm can appear.