Twenty-nine years since the first edition was released, Frank Summers has renewed his
lucid and thorough clarification of the various object relations theories to demonstrate
their evolution and continued significance for therapeutic practice.
This volume includes elucidation of the major scholarship that has advanced the ideas
of object relations theorists such as Fairbairn, Klein, Winnicott, Kernberg, and Kohut,
since the publication of the first edition. A thorough and detailed new chapter devoted to
the emergence and development of relational psychoanalysis has been added to make this
volume a “state of the art” articulation of current object relations thinking. The ideas and
assumptions of each theory relative to metapsychology, psychopathology, and treatment
are expounded, alongside a critical evaluation of the strengths and limitations of each
approach. With extensive use of historic case material, Summers shows how each object
relations theory yields specific clinical approaches to a variety of syndromes, and how these
approaches entail specific modifications in clinical technique.
This volume will be essential reading for all analysts, psychologists, psychiatrists, and
social workers who wish to familiarize themselves with object relations theories in general,
sharpen their understanding of the work of specific object relations theorists, or enhance
their ability to employ these theories in their clinical work.