'The subject matter of this monograph is the study of certain transference and transferencelike phenomena in the psychoanalysis of narcissistic personalities, and of the analyst's reactions to them, including his countertransferences' (p. 1). This introductory sentence indicates the clinical scope and focus of Kohut's important and complex book, the fruit of many years of the psychoanalytic treatment and study of a group of patients with whom every analyst practicing today is becoming more and more familiar. The title and subtitle of the book imply the author's theoretical approach and suggest his attempt to put the treatment of such patients on a firm metapsychological basis.

The patients under consideration fall into a category halfway between Freud's transference neuroses and narcissistic neuroses (as nosological groups). While their complaints and symptomatology vary within a considerable range, they may be characterized by