Twenty-nine years since the first edition was released, Frank Summers has renewed hislucid and thorough clarification of the various object relations theories to demonstratetheir evolution and continued significance for therapeutic practice. This volume includes elucidation of the major scholarship that has advanced the ideasof object relations theorists such as Fairbairn, Klein, Winnicott, Kernberg, and Kohut,since the publication of the first edition.

A thorough and detailed new chapter devoted tothe emergence and development of relational psychoanalysis has been added to make thisvolume a “state of the art” articulation of current object relations thinking. The ideas andassumptions of each theory relative to metapsychology, psychopathology, and treatmentare expounded, alongside a critical evaluation of the strengths and limitations of eachapproach.

With extensive use of historic case material, Summers shows how each objectrelations theory yields specific clinical approaches to a variety of syndromes, and how theseapproaches entail specific modifications in clinical technique. This volume will be essential reading for all analysts, psychologists, psychiatrists, andsocial workers who wish to familiarize themselves with object relations theories in general,sharpen their understanding of the work of specific object relations theorists, or enhancetheir ability to employ these theories in their clinical work.

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