Relational and Intersubjective Perspectives in Psychoanalysis: A Critique

This volume is the first concentrated effort to offer a philosophical critique of relational and intersubjective perspectives in contemporary psychoanalytic thought. The distinguished group of scholars and clinicians assembled here are largely preoccupied with tracing the theoretical underpinnings of relational psychoanalysis, its divergence from traditional psychoanalytic paradigms, implications for clinical reform and therapeutic practice, and its intersection with alternative psychoanalytic approaches that are co-extensive with the relational turn. Because relational and intersubjective perspectives have not been properly critiqued from within their own schools of discourse, many of the contributors assembled here subject advocates of the American Middle School to a thorough critique of their theoretical assumptions, limitations, and practices. If not for any other reason, this project is of timely significance for the field of psychoanalysis and the competing psychotherapies because it attempts to address the philosophical undergirding of the relational movement.

Jon Mills is Dean Emeritus, Professor of Law, and Director of Center for Governmental Responsibility at the University of Florida’s Fredric G. Levin College of Law where he served as Dean from 1999 to 2003.