This book aims to illustrate the initial formulation of the psychoanalytic process and its elements in terms of the method of free association. It also aims to facilitate research into the role of theory and formulation in the practice of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy.

In this expanded edition of a classic text, Anton Kris reexamines the method of free association, one of the foundational components of psychoanalysis. Tracing the history of the concept from its original pride of place among early analysts through its more recent downgrading, Kris reformulates the multifaceted illumination that free association provides, thereby assigning it a central place in contemporary thinking about psychoanalytic technique.

In this expanded edition of a classic text, Anton Kris reexamines the method of free association, one of the foundational components of psychoanalysis. Tracing the history of the concept from its original pride of place among early analysts through its more recent downgrading, Kris reformulates the multifaceted illumination that free association provides, thereby assigning it a central place in contemporary thinking about psychoanalytic technique.