A Developmental View of the Psychoanalytic Process. Follow-Up Studies and their Consequences. (Emotions and Behavior Monograph 1.): By Nathan Schlessinger, M.D., and Fred P. Robbins, M.D. New York: International Universities Press, Inc., 1983. 228 pp.

This stimulating, provocative book is a rarity in the psychoanalytic literature: a report of an extended follow-up study on the results of psychoanalytic treatment. Its stated purpose is "to contribute to the evolution of a new view of psychoanalysis by exploring and documenting a particular approach to the study of the analytic process based on follow-up research and clinical investigation" (p. 1).

The book is divided into six chapters on Clinical Studies and three chapters on Theoretical Implications. Actually, the division between clinical and theoretical is not very sharp. The reader wrestles, in a satisfying way, with the theoretical implications of the clinical findings from beginning to end.

After a decade of studying cases from the clinic of the Institute for Psychoanalysis in Chicago, Schlessinger and Robbins came up with findings which significantly altered their view and practice of psychoanalysis. The first task facing them was the elaboration of a valid, reliable procedure for assessing the results of analysis at termination and in follow-up. It is to their credit that they decided to evaluate the case material "firmly on a clinical basis" (p. 19). They examined records of the first few hours, the point in analysis when termination was decided upon, the last few hours, and four to six follow-up sessions conducted two to five years after termination. The clinical material was examined in a research workshop involving the authors and advanced clinical associates at the Chicago Institute. The analyst who conducted the follow-up interviews took part in the discussions.

To measure the changes resulting from analysis, the investigators