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A Short Introduction to Psychoanalysis is co-edited by three London-based psychoanalysts, Jane Milton (previously editor of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy), Caroline Polmear and Julia Fabricius. It is part of the ‘Short Introductions to the Therapy Professions’ series, from Sage Publications, and in less than 200 pages the authors endeavour to offer ‘a down-to-earth guide to arguably the most misunderstood of all the psychological therapies’. This is a huge task and for the most part the authors succeed in their task.
The first two chapters ‘What is Psychoanalysis?’ and ‘Basic Tenets’ offer a concise and condensed guide through many of the basic concepts and tenets, with the text nicely punctuated by case examples and explanations. The authors then move on to broader issues, such as the history of psychoanalysis, psychoanalysis across cultures, critiques of psychoanalysis, research in psychoanalysis, psychoanalysis and psychotherapy, applications of psychoanalysis, and finally ‘The Profession’.
These two first chapters are highly condensed. Concepts such as transference, countertransference, containment and defence mechanisms are defined and explained, as are the core psychoanalytic theories ranging from Freud's developmental stages to Klein's positions, and the Winnicottian facilitating environment. Interwoven with these explanations are vignettes from the treatment or assessment of patients, elucidating or illustrating the concepts in the text. This works well. For the most part these two chapters ‘worked’, and if they were co-authored, they appeared for the most part ‘seamless’.
Chapter 3 provides a well written and interesting history of psychoanalysis, including the life and works of Freud, and is followed by the history of some of the important figures who either remained loyal or who broke with Freud (e.g. Adler and Jung). A furth