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In terms of psychoanalysis, it is extremely important to know its history and development in general and particularly in one's own country. What kind of development has led to the present psychoanalytic theory and practice? What kind of development has resulted in the contemporary psychoanalytic world with its organisations and conflicts, but also with its constructive features? By learning to know the history of psychoanalysis, it is also possible to remain unruffled when psychoanalysis is a subject of criticism and “new revelations” are linked to it.
Per Magnus Johansson's two-volume work, Freuds Psykoanalys (Freud's Psychoanalysis), is a revised version of his dissertation. The work is a historical introduction to how Freud's psychoanalysis was accepted and adapted in Sweden. The first volume of the book deals with some of Freud's most important books and essays. The second volume describes the history of psychoanalysis in Sweden from the beginning of the 20th century up to the present, using as a central starting point six persons who have influenced psychoanalysis in Sweden. Both volumes of the book can be read as independent works.
The first volume, Utgångspunkter (Points of departure), is a “Reader's Digest” (not in a derogatory sense) of some of Freud's most important works. The introductions to the contents of Freud's works are inevitably quite short. For instance, The Interpretation of Dreams is presented in 7 pages. A reader who is not familiar with Freud's works is forced to move on to the original texts, which is naturally recommendable. Johansson