ABSTRACT

Eugenio Gaddini, a pioneer within the Italian psychoanalytical movement, devoted a lifetime of research to the organization of infantile mental life.

In this edited collection of his papers Dr Adam Limentani introduces Gaddini's key theories showing how they are closely linked to, but different from, the thinking of Phyllis Greenacre, Donald Winnicott and Melanie Klein.

These ideas are of great clinical relevance for the treatment of adult patients, particularly in the understanding of psychosomatic disorders. The richness of the clinical evidence with which Gaddini supports his hypothesis, and the originality of his conceptions make this a rewarding and stimulating book for the practicing analyst and psychotherapist.

chapter |17 pages

Introduction

chapter |11 pages

Aggression and the pleasure principle

Towards a psychoanalytic theory of aggression

chapter |15 pages

Beyond the death instinct

Problems of psychoanalytic research on aggression

chapter |14 pages

Therapeutic technique in psychoanalysis

Research, controversies and evolution