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This collection of twenty-six essays makes a very real contribution to both psychoanalysis and education. Almost half have been written by Ekstein alone and a few with Motto, while the remaining thirteen are by other well-known authorities in both disciplines. Despite the many contributors, there is a remarkable continuity in the development of the topics. The editors are to be congratulated on their painstaking collection of data as well as on the clarity of presentation of such difficult material. The result is in no sense similar to the usual textbook and hopefully will be used as a model for future exploration into the contribution of psychoanalysis and other disciplines.
The first of five parts is devoted to the historical relationship between psychoanalysis and education. In Europe in the early phase, psychoanalysis was considered an educational procedure applied to the training of child analysts and pedagogues. In the second phase after World War II, the emphasis frequently moved toward seeing the teacher as an educational therapist. The accent changed from analysis as post-education to education as prevention of emotional illness. Since then education and psychoanalysis have emerged as distinct entities. By applying psychoanalytic concepts to educational problems, education has moved out of the area of mental health toward problems of learning and acquisition of skills. In 1948 Kris wrote On Psychoanalysis and Education, envisioning 'a process of communication between experts trained in different skills in which cross-fertilization of approaches is likely to occur'. In most psychoanalyses, child and adult, educational problems arise in one form or another as the patient is learning and acquiring new skills, as well as in his job adjustment.
Many of the other essays in the sections on Discipline, Curriculum, and Learning Tasks, involve not only external factors, but also the significant role of inner conflicts in the learning process. They emphasize