In the last two decades, object relations theory has crossed the Atlantic and taken America by storm. The enthusiasm among American clinicians for the British School, however, has led to a host of problems related to the need to master a new terminology. The difficulty in assimilating object relations theory is one more example of the aphorism that America and England are two countries separated by a common language. The Scharffs have taken a giant step forward in assisting American therapists in their efforts to master the language of object relations theory.

With this primer they have anticipated the reader's questions at every turn and have answered them in remarkably clear and readable prose. Terms like projective identification, holding, containment, and self are freed from obscurity and made entirely understandable to even the novice clinician. The authors then apply these concepts to a variety of clinical settings. The Scharffs are equally at home when doing individual, family, marital, group, or sex therapy. It is difficult to imagine any other team of authors who could provide such a comprehensive survey of the broad applications of object relations theory. Students in all the mental health professions will find this slim volume to be an extraordinarily useful introduction to the field.

0 Prefrace
0 How to Use This Primer
0 List of Figures and Tables
Chapter 1 The Self and Its Objects
Part 1 Overview of the Concepts of British Object Relations Theory
Chapter 2 Basic Freudian Concepts
Part 2 Object Relations Theory in Practice
Chapter 3 From Freud to Object Relations Theory
Chapter 4 Endopsychic Structure
Chapter 5 Projective and Introjective Identification and Containment
Chapter 6 The Holding Environment
Chapter 7 The Concept of Positions
Chapter 8 Attachment Theory
Chapter 9 Neurobiology and Affect Regulation
Chapter 10 Trauma
Chapter 11 Chaos Theory
Chapter 12 The Therapeutic Relationship and the Geography of the Transference
Chapter 13 Relation to Other Theoretical Systems and Clinical Approaches
Chapter 14 Principles of Assessment
Chapter 15 Technique I: Setting the Frame, Impartiality, Psychological Space, and the Use of the Therapist's Self
Chapter 16 Technique II: Working with Transference, Countertransference, and Interpretation
Chapter 17 Technique III: The Use of Dreams, Fantasy, and Play
Chapter 18 Breif Therapy
Chapter 19 Technique and Theory Review with Clinical Illustration
Chapter 20 Working Through and Termination
Chapter 21 Integration of Individual Therapy with Couple, Family, Group, and Sex Therapies
Chapter 22 The Application of Object Relations Theory to Various Syndromes and Populations
Chapter 23 The Role and Experience of the Object Relations Therapist
Chapter 24 The Devolpment of Therapeutic Capacity
Chapter 25 A Guide to Further Reading