Psychoanalytic theory remains hugely influential to our understanding of the mind and human behaviour. It provides a rich source of ideas for therapeutic practice, while offering dramatic insights for the study of culture and society. This comprehensive review of the field:

Explores the birth of psychoanalysis, taking the reader step by step through Freud's original ideas and how they developed and evolved.
Provides a clear account of fundamental psychoanalytic concepts.
Discusses the different schools of psychoanalysis that have emerged since Freud.
Illustrates the wider applications of psychoanalytic ideas across film, literature and politics.


Written by a highly respected authority on psychoanalysis, this book is essential reading for trainees in counselling and psychotherapy, as well as for students across the arts, humanities and social sciences.