Krystal and Raskin achieve a rare clarity of style and thought in their exposition of the psychology of drug dependence. By eschewing political, legal, or sociological rhetoric, they become relevant with their pithy, one hundred twenty-seven page treatise, for they thoughtfully blend the contributions of recent advances in ego psychology and developmental studies with the consequent implications for therapy of the drug dependent.

Despite the polarizing tendencies of current times, the conflicts within the generation gap, the travails of the teen-agers and the youth of today, Krystal and Raskin clearly and carefully outline the drug dependence problem in terms of our most current knowledge and show it to have a developmental aspect and direction, to be approached longitudinally. This essay stands out as a positive contribution to psychoanalytic psychology.