On Freud’s Remembering, Repeating and Working-through

In On Freud’s “Remembering, Repeating and Working-Through” international contributors from a range of psychoanalytic backgrounds reflect on this key 1914 paper.

Each chapter considers an aspect of Freud’s original work, addressing both the theoretical and clinical dimensions of the paper and incorporating contemporary perspectives. Bringing out all three aspects of the paper’s title, the contributors consider the issues raised by the so-called change in psychoanalytic paradigm, from the classic central concern of remembering to a clinical experience which prioritises enactment and repetition. The reflections on this important paper demonstrate how it goes beyond technique to open new vistas on the conception of psychoanalysis as a whole.

On Freud’s “Remembering, Repeating and Working-Through” will be essential reading for psychoanalysts and psychoanalytic psychotherapists in practice and in training. It will also be of interest to readers seeking a deeper understanding of current Freudian thinking.

Udo Hock, PhD, is a psychoanalyst based in Germany. He is the editor and translator of the work of Jean Laplanche into German. He is co-editor of the psychoanalytic journal Psyche. He has published widely on topics of classical psychoanalysis including drive, infantile sexuality, transference, repetition compulsion, après-coup, and in particular, the notion of ‘Entstellung’ (distortion, disfigurement).

Dominique Scarfone is honorary professor at the Université de Montréal, Canada. He is member emeritus of the Société Psychanalytique de Montréal and honorary member of the Italian Psychoanalytic Society. He is the author of several books and articles, and co-editor of Unrepresented States and the Construction of Meaning (Routledge).