In the history of psychoanalysis the current era will probably be known as the age of the self. Beginning some decades ago with the studies of object relations by the British psychoanalysts, especially Fairbairn and Winnicott, the self has assumed increasing importance in the gradual evolution of contemporary psychoanalytic theory and practice. This is not to say that psychoanalysts generally, or even most psychoanalysts, have abandoned ego psychology to become self psychologists. Still, it seems to many observers, including myself, that a discernible shift has occurred among the burning topics of current interest in our literature. We read less about instincts and more about intersubjectivity. To the limited extent that one can gather what goes on nowadays in analytic consulting rooms, the clinical emphasis there also seems to have undergone a change from attention to neurotic