Emotional problems in children age five to six or younger are too often misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or simply neglected. Even for those children who do receive attention, it is frequently inadequate. To assume, however, that prelatency children are too young to treat, particularly with psychoanalysis, is mistaken, the contributors to this book argue. They present detailed case studies of the psychoanalytic treatment of children as young as two years old, and they offer extended discussions of some of the issues raised by the treatment of prelatency children.
This is the first book to deal exclusively with the psychoanalysis of small children. The contributors, well-known analysts and authorities in their field, examine the cases of eight prelatency children. The cases support the notion that psychoanalysis by a properly trained analyst can provide the most effective, rapid, and long-lasting treatment for young children. Early psychoanalysis can also avert the need for later treatment, when success is generally much more difficult to achieve. Psychoanalysts, psychologists, pediatricians, counselors, and others interested in the emotional well-being of young children will find in this deeply informed book a wealth of information on current theory and technique of analysis of preschool children.