Psychoanalysis Book Summary

In 'Psychoanalysis,' Janet Malcolm delves into the intricate relationship between the therapist and patient, unveiling the complexities of human thought and emotion. Through a series of vivid case studies and poignant reflections, she challenges the reader to question the nature of truth within the therapeutic setting. Malcolm's sharp observations and rich prose intertwine the personal with the analytical, making the subject matter both accessible and profoundly impactful. This provocative exploration not only sheds light on the field of psychoanalysis but also invites us to reflect on our own inner workings. Are we truly the architects of our own minds, or are we mere puppets in the hands of our subconscious?

By Janet Malcolm

Published: 1982

""To know the mind is to understand the hidden dialogues between self and society, where silence speaks louder than words.""

Book Review of Psychoanalysis

From the author of In the Freud Archives and The Journalist and the Murderer comes an intensive look at the practice of psychoanalysis through interviews with “Aaron Green,” a Freudian analyst in New York City. Malcolm is accessible and lucid in describing the history of psychoanalysis and its development in the United States. It provides rare insight into the contradictory world of psychoanalytic training and treatment and a foundation for our understanding of psychiatry and mental health. "Janet Malcom has managed somehow to peer into the reticent, reclusive world of psychoanalysis and to report to us, with remarkable fidelity, what she has seen. When I began reading I thought condescendingly, 'She will get the facts right, and everything else wrong.' She does get the facts right, but far more pressive, she has been able to capture and convey the claustral atmosphere of the profession. Her book is journalism become art." —Joseph Andelson, The New York Times Book Review

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"To know the mind is to understand the hidden dialogues between self and society, where silence speaks louder than words."

Psychoanalysis

By Janet Malcolm