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Because of the limited printed material available concerning this aspect of psychopathology, the volume is a welcome arrival. The papers presented in the symposium range from the general coverage of certain aspects of the field, i.e. Redlich, Brody to detailed case reports on successfully treated patients, i.e. Wexler. The sobering reviews of Redlich and Brody point out in some detail the lack of research and the many problems involved in attempting to evaluate the treatment of schizophrenia. With “restrained optimism”, the papers that follow often wander from this more academic setting into the area of individual clinical interpretations. Fromm-Reichmann discusses some problems encountered in the psychoanalytic therapeutic relationship with a psychotic. Eissler's new distinction between the “acute” and “mute” phases of schizophrenia carries certain implications which may be of importance in some therapeutic situations. An even more controversial possibility is introduced by Wexler in his success with the new therapist role of super-ego. The volume ends with a report by Frank on group psychotherapy with chronic hospitalized schizophrenics.
Coherence at the symposium was gained by including only psychoanalytically oriented workers. This has both good and bad features for an attempt to gain perspective on such a broad problem. As such, however, it was possible to spend some time attempting to evaluate the new ideas in respect to classical psychoanalytic theory as well as to add empirically to the already available clinical material.