Each volume in the Hampstead Clinic Psychoanalytic Library takes a single theme or group of concepts in Freud's thought and traces its development. Wherever possible Freud's own words have been used and references are always given to his own works, thus enabling the reader to pursue any subject in a minimum of time. The preparation of these volumes entailed six years' active callaboration between fifteen analysts and therapists from the Hampstead Child Therapy Clinic under the chairmanship of Dr. Humberto Nagera. They have subsequently proved to be of enormous use to students, teachers and researchers in the fields of psychoanalysis, psychiatry, psychology, child development and social work. In this volume the reader can follow the development of Freud's theories regarding important subjects such as Fixation, Regression, Cathexis, Conflicts, Anxiety, Ambivalence, Reality Testing, Transference and Counter-Transference. Some of these subjects have been chosen because of the many misconceptions and misunderstandings which surround them.

Each volume in the Hampstead Clinic Psychoanalytic Library takes a single theme or group of concepts in Freud's thought and traces its development. Wherever possible Freud's own words have been used and references are always given to his own works, thus enabling the reader to pursue any subject in a minimum of time. The preparation of these volumes entailed six years' active callaboration between fifteen analysts and therapists from the Hampstead Child Therapy Clinic under the chairmanship of Dr. Humberto Nagera. They have subsequently proved to be of enormous use to students, teachers and researchers in the fields of psychoanalysis, psychiatry, psychology, child development and social work. This volume describes in condensed but detailed form Freud's development of the theory of instincts. As is well known, Freud reformulated and amplified his theory of instincts at several points during his lifetime. In this volume, the reader will be able to follow the development of Freud's thought from his initial discovery of the duality of 'sexual' and 'ego instincts' and his recognition of the fundamental importance of the aggressive forces in human nature and behaviour, to the formulation of his theories regarding life and death.

Though the obvious comparisons to Freud's work "Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality" are inevitable, I would say this book is a definite read because it explains clearly a lot of the direct relevance that libido has on human psychosexuality and demystifies the origins and implications of libidinal urges. I found the book very informative, analytic and cathartic too. It spans a large readership - parents, educators, adolescents, academicians and the interested reader - and would be a very good read for all.

Each volume in the Hampstead Clinic Psychoanalytic Library takes a single theme or group of concepts in Freud's thought and traces its development. Wherever possible Freud's own words have been used and references are always given to his own works, thus enabling the reader to pursue any subject in a minimum of time. The preparation of these volumes entailed six years' active callaboration between fifteen analysts and therapists from the Hampstead Child Therapy Clinic under the chairmanship of Dr. Humberto Nagera. They have subsequently proved to be of enormous use to students, teachers and researchers in the fields of psychoanalysis, psychiatry, psychology, child development and social work. This volume traces the development of Freud's thinking on sex, including the formulation of his famous 'libido theory' and his discoveries about sexuality in childhood and adolescence, sexual perversion and bisexuality. Freud's view of sex was regarded as revolutionary by his contemporaries and has wielded an immense influence ever since. As a result, this volume is of prime importance for any serious student of Freud's work.