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Kernberg, in his inimitably clear, condensed, highly organized style, again details his approach to the psychoanalytically oriented treatment of borderline patients. Above all, he repeatedly cautions that a combination of expressive and supportive therapy is contraindicated, strongly favoring a firmly held position of technical neutrality by the therapist throughout the long, arduous course of treatment. This "nonsupportive" technique is, in the long run, the only one truly supportive of full, reconstructive personality development. The author emphasizes that "technical neutrality" does not imply lack of empathy. Focusing specifically on the diagnosis of borderline conditions in adolescents as opposed to schizophrenia or normal turmoil, Kernberg reiterates his diagnostic criteria of "identity diffusion," predominance of primitive defensive operations, especially splitting, and maintenance of reality testing. Careful diagnosis is essential for selection of proper treatment. Kernberg feels that if family therapy is indicated in the treatment of borderline adolescents, it should be done by someone other than the adolescent's own therapist. He feels that the developmental tasks of adolescence in the borderline can best be accomplished through the same psychotherapeutic technique appropriate to the therapy of the older borderline. Finally, he considers the problem of acting out in the therapy of the borderline adolescent, describes various forms it takes, and recommends that a team approach be used if external structure is required, leaving the therapist free to work within the technical analytic framework.