Psychoanalysis: The Impossible Profession
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 Cover of the first edition | |
| Author | Janet Malcolm |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Psychoanalysis |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
Publication date | 1981 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover and Paperback) |
| Pages | 192 |
| ISBN | 978-0394710341 |
Psychoanalysis: The Impossible Profession is a 1981 book about psychoanalysis by the journalist Janet Malcolm. It was published by Alfred A. Knopf. The book received positive reviews.
Malcolm discusses the work of a psychoanalyst whom she refers to as "Aaron Green", concealing his real name through the use of a pseudonym. She describes his patients and teaching job at a local medical school, the influence of the psychoanalysts Charles Brenner and Jacob Arlow on his theory and technique, and his dismissal of other trends in psychoanalysis, such as those associated with Jacques Lacan, Otto Kernberg, Heinz Kohut, and Melanie Klein. "Green" reveals much of the inner politics of the New York Psychoanalytic Institute, to which he is attached.[1] He also explores the challenges to his brand of ego psychology that were being presented by the British Object relations theory, and by such American figures as Kernberg and Kohut, in the late 20th century.[2]
Publication history
Based on material originally published in The New Yorker, Psychoanalysis: The Impossible Profession was published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1981.[3]