A Brief Introduction to Psychoanalytic Theory

Psychoanalytic theory remains hugely influential to our understanding of the mind and human behaviour. It provides a rich source of ideas for therapeutic practice, while offering dramatic insights for the study of culture and society. This comprehensive review of the field:

• Explores the birth of psychoanalysis, taking the reader step by step through Freud's original ideas and how they developed and evolved.
• Provides a clear account of fundamental psychoanalytic concepts.
• Discusses the different schools of psychoanalysis that have emerged since Freud.
• Illustrates the wider applications of psychoanalytic ideas across film, literature and politics.

Written by a highly respected authority on psychoanalysis, this book is essential reading for trainees in counselling and psychotherapy, as well as for students across the arts, humanities and social sciences.