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This comprehensive volume, comprising thirty-eight chapters, is part of a series edited by Norka T. Malberg and Joan Raphael-Leff to validate and honor those pioneers in the psychoanalytic field who have transformed our understanding of the human psyche in significant ways. This volume, honoring W. R. D. Fairbairn, is a compendium of papers addressing his work by various authors; the book's editors are Graham S. Clarke and David E. Scharff.
Four categories have been designated by the editors for the material they present: “Historical,” “Clinical,” “Theoretical,” and “Applications.” They introduce each category with an overview of the mostly original, solicited contributions grouped within it. The overviews, together with the fine papers themselves, have increased my understanding of how psychoanalytic thinking has evolved and been enriched with the significant contribution of Fairbairn.
In his introduction, James S. Grotstein credits Fairbairn with introducing the need for basic dependency and relationship in the development of the psyche. Although not fully acknowledged in his time and marginalized by some, he set the stage for a different understanding of psychic structure that led to what has become known as the object relations school.
Chapter 1 of the “Historical” section, “From Instinct to Self,” was coauthored by David E. Scharff and Ellinor Fairbairn Birtles (Fairbairn's daughter), who have also coedited a volume of Fairbairn's papers.1 This chapter describes the context in which Fairbairn developed his model