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For over a quarter of a century Heinz Hartmann's writings dominated psychoanalysis in the United States. Beginning with Ego Psychology and the Problem of Adaptation (1939), Hartmann set out to refine the incomplete structural theory left by Freud, to lead psychoanalysis toward becoming a general psychology, and to guarantee a place for psychoanalysis in the realm of natural science. In Ego Psychology and the Problem of Adaptation, Hartmann outlined the framework and the raw structure of his ideas, which he elaborated, refined, and explored in numerous essays during the next 30 years.
It is still premature for a determination of how successful Hartmann has been. However, we believe that it is impossible to understand psychoanalysis as a clinical and theoretical discipline without an appreciation of his work. A brief summary of the content of his contributions follows.
In a detailed study of the ego Hartmann described the ego as comprised of multiple substructures and subfunctions with primary and secondary autonomy, some conflict-free, others capable of shifting from conflict-free to conflicted areas of activity. With the ego's multiple foci of activity he established that human action was not the result of drives and defense but of a spectrum of apparatuses which reflect defenses, cognition, and automation. By defining adaptation as a biological process characteristic of all living things, he was able to place the data of psychoanalysis within the realm of natural science.
Furthermore, upon establishing the multiple foci of ego activity relative to drives and adaptation and differentiating between self, ego, and self-representation, he opened the exploration for an object relations theory. He added a group of principles of mental functioning involved in organization, synthesis, and adaptation