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On November 29, 1993, Time magazine ran a picture of Freud on its cover, asking, “Is Freud Dead?” On November 13, 2013, Psychology Today ran an article entitled “Is Freud Still Dead?” These are but two examples of the passionate bashing and resurrecting of Freud that goes on all the time, both in well-regarded publications (such as the New York Times and the New York Review of Books) and in private blogs—and even on the couches of today's psychoanalysts.
It is refreshing to see the way that Lee Jaffe settles the question in How Talking Cures. Freud's technique is alive and well, as Jaffe's book illustrates in detail. This book explains how Freud's legacy has informed psychotherapists of all persuasions—whether they know it or not.
How Talking Cures is a real how-to book, valuable to all psychotherapists—whether they work with children, adolescents, adults, or couples, whether they practice behavioral techniques or insight-oriented therapy, including transference interpretation. It is also an invaluable aid to teachers. In fact, Jaffe's talent for explaining and extending Freud's basic ideas shines through.
Jaffe begins by carefully explaining what he sees as Freud's six generic modes of therapeutic action: direct support, introjection, catharsis, insight, identification, and working through. Drawing on case material, he illustrates how, when, and why these modes are employed. He also shows the reader that it was Freud who invented cognitive behavioral therapy.
As a psychologist, Jaffe is an expert in connecting modes of action to results measured by a battery of psychological tests, including the Wechsler (revised for children and adults), the Babcock Story Recall test, the Rorschach, and the Thematic Apperception Test, which he uses in order to arrive at a unique, conscious and unconscious view of the individual's psychological makeup.