ABSTRACT
I n this article I review developments in psychoanalytic theory and practice over the past fifty or so years. Of course, I will present these developments from my own experience and my own perspective, demonstrating my involvement with American psychoanalysis as it evolved, beginning with ego psychology, and then moving to the theories of Melanie Klein, object relations (both British and American), self psychology, intersubjectivity, and the relational theories. My focus is on the special significance of self psychology in the theoretical evolution I experienced, and I will offer some ideas about the angry character of the debates that surrounded these developments. The role of the psychoanalytic organizations in Southern California will be highlighted as exemplifying nationwide trends in the field. I attempt to give this history chronologically and as concisely as possible, interspersing some important events in slightly greater detail.
