About the Book
The theory of psychoanalysis was the breakthrough that defined the intellectual ambience of the 20th century. Two-thirds of the way into the century, the new science peaked and started a steep decline. While many look to external factors, or more recently to internal organizational ones, Dr. Leo Rangell has steadfastly pointed to theoretical fragmentation as the source of the loss of inspiration the discipline previously enjoyed.
The Controversial Discussions need to be superseded by Discussions of Controversies. The British attempt at mid-century, with its outcome far from logical or inspiring, had best be followed by reparative discussions throughout the analytic world, with human impediments met and dissolved, for as long as it takes. The ideational issues that divide are few and finite in comparison to the breadth of the consensual base. Dr. Rangell traces the mixture of ideas and people intrinsic to the history of splits, and describes a total, cumulative, composite theory aiming toward internal coherence in the service of survival and the future of the science.
Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 The Task
Chapter 2 The Tool
Chapter 3 The Development
Chapter 4 The Early Theory
Chapter 5 Splits
Chapter 6 The Golden Era
Chapter 7 The Crest and the Slope. The Breakup of Theory
Chapter 9 The Bad American
Chapter 10 The Problem of Lay Analysis
Chapter 11 The Problem of Medical Analysis
Chapter 12 The Science
Chapter 13 The Breakup of Technique
Chapter 14 The Solution: Total Composite Psychoanalytic Theory
Chapter 15 One Theory, Many Treatments
Chapter 16 My Additions
Chapter 17 Unity and Reconciliation Within Psychoanalysis
About the Author :
Leo Rangell, M.D. has contributed over 450 articles and seven books to psychoanalytic literature. He has also twice been President of both the American and the International Psychoanalytic Associations. He is currently the Honorary President of the International Psychoanalytic Association.
Review :
A prolific writer on psychoanalysis, Rangell has been president of both the American Psychoanalytic Association and the International Psychoanalytic Association. This volume, although an easy read for a broad audience, is a psychiatric insider's effort to reconcile differences among theoretical allegiances via the author's 'total composite theory.' The volume describes historical and current theoretical differences among psychoanalytic perspectives, especially as they have erupted in the national and international organizations. A closing chapter reviews Rangell's contributions to total theory, which include (in the 1960s and 1970s) adding unconscious decision-making to the ego functions and (in 2004) presenting mass psychology as subject to the same explanatory system as individual psychology. Summing Up: Graduate students, researchers, and professionals.
In this latest contribution to the psychoanalytic core, Leo Rangell argues that the road to unity is a road less traveled by psychoanalysts. He sees part theories becoming whole theories and postulates an alternative total composite psychoanalytic theorythat integrates and encompasses new advances and discoveries. In particular, this volume should make valuable reading for beginning therapists who may be teased into selecting a narrow and partial vision as an alternative to a complex, integrated, and total vision of psychoanalysis...
Leo Rangell, one of our outstanding analytic thinkers and an active player in the psychoanalytic movement, offers us another stimulating reflection on past and recent developments on this rich and often controversial field. The Road to Unity in Psychoanalytic Theory allows its readers to take part in the main controversies, as well as to witness the current status of vitality and cross-fertilization among different analytic theories. With his ability to master difficult issues, Dr. Rangell offers a comprehensive and personal synthesis of this complex field.
All who read this book will be impressed by its extraordinary psychoanalytic scope, clarity, and insight. The development of psychoanalytic models of the mind and psychoanalytic institutions are critically reviewed. Building on his recent publication My Life in Theory, Leo Rangell brilliantly illuminates current controversies; he demonstration their derivation from the persisting past as well as new propositions. Thorny issues in psychoanalysis are explored in their complexity, without minimizing significant differences and divergence. Recognizing the value of incremental advances that have been tested and integrated over time, Dr. Rangell considers the present problems of theoretical pluralism and eclecticism. He presents cogent explanations of why a unified theory has remained elusive. The Road to Unity in Psychoanalytic Theory draws upon a lifetime of psychoanalytic experience and creative contributions to the field exemplified in this work.
Leo Rangell, like a good North Star, here powerfully and eloquently articulates his longstanding conviction that psychoanalysis is a unitary theory of the mind, broad and deep enough to encompass innovative findings within the mainstream. He argues that new theoretical contributions do not replace theory, but rather add to, enrich, and correct the living, growing body of psychoanalytic understanding. In the process, Rangell adds context and depth to the history of psychoanalysis in the US. Most significantly, correcting much of the storm currently enveloping the history of the American Psychoanalytic Association, Rangell's clear separation of theoretical from political issues brilliantly enhances one's appreciation of the course and development of psychoanalysis as science. This book is a clarion call for reason.
With erudition, equilibrium and deep knowledge, Rangell points out the main problem of the day, the struggle between pluralism and unified psychoanalytic theory. This text examines both positions in an effort to separate rational thinking from passion and politics. The road to unity is, for Rangell, to recognize the development of different points of view, so as to expand the theory rather than to replace a theory by another. Rangell, clearly distinguishes integration from split and proposes an objective approach. A good example of this is the way Rangell unifies Freud's both theories of anxiety.He thus proposes a united, composite theory of psychoanalysis. This is the core of his book and of his fascinating life.The reading of this book will give knowledge and pleasure to every psychoanalyst and scholar.Congratulations to the author and also to his future readers.
In this latest contribution to the psychoanalytic core, Leo Rangell argues that the road to unity is a road less traveled by psychoanalysts. He sees part theories becoming whole theories and postulates an alternative total composite psychoanalytic theory that integrates and encompasses new advances and discoveries. In particular, this volume should make valuable reading for
beginning therapists who may be teased into selecting a narrow and partial vision as an alternative to a complex, integrated, and total vision of psychoanalysis.
Overall, the overview of the history of conceptual developments in the field brings with it a perspective that is in some way unique, but echoes the concerns and attitudes of many actively engaged in the work of analysis. Rangell offers a ray of hope, possibly enlightening if not a contemporary darkness, at least the sometimes confusing dialectic chiaroscuro of analytic positions.
Rangell's efforts are admirable and his words merit a respectful hearing.
It is far from clear that psychoanalysis will reunify, but Rangell's efforts are admirable and his words merit a respectful hearing.
I like The Road to Unity in Psychoanalytic Theory and heartily recommend it. It is the next best thing to a fireside chat with greatness.
This slim volume will provide a most accessible introduction to one of the major players on the psychoanalytic stage for well-nigh half its history.
One of the great virtues of this book is the careful tracing of our numerous either-or controversies....It will be of value for students as well as for those of us who do not have a coherent temporal grasp of these controversies readily available.
