ABSTRACT
This book examines relational theory from a critical/competitive point of entry; it invited relational theorists to contemplate the influence, overlaps, and relationship between relational theory and other perspectives. It explores that critique in the opposite direction by contemplating and elaborating on how relational theory overlaps with – and differs from – other perspectives. The book also describes a penetrating critique of trauma theory. It has a central place in relational thinking that has greatly enriched readers understanding of human suffering and its developmental origins. It discusses the meta-issue underlying both De-Idealizing and decentering: the potential value of psychoanalytic critique. Relational psychoanalysis has remained somewhat isolated from the views of both European and Latin American psychoanalysis. The process of evaluating a theory, its contributions and limitations, is most typically done by its critics. The book discusses issues of influence, both bidirectional and uni-directional.
