The problems which the individual has to deal with in adolescence are qualitatively different from those of childhood; they are related in particular to the adolescent's reaction/responses to the physical development of his/her sexual body and the changing relationship to the parents and to the world in which he/she lives. We have to take into account the revival of infantile conflicts and the newly emerging sexual and aggressive urges and experiences, both of which have to be integrated by the adolescent so that a new equilibrium can be created. The adolescent finds himself in the very difficult position of having to make all these readjustments while he has to deal with the subsequent conflicts and anxieties. The earlier passionate mixture of love and hatred that characterizes the attachment and dependency on the parents must now be renounced until the adolescent reaches a point at which it is possible for him to confirm his own identity and find new love relationships. These must neither be based too much on repetition of previous early attachments, nor be entirely and exaggeratedly opposed to them. It goes without saying that none of this can be achieved without much upheaval and experimenting. The step from adolescence to adulthood is complex and involves not only the individual s emotional experience, but also the continuous input, reactions from the world in which he/she lives. It is these interactions that are described and discussed in this book."

Although there have been many other important contributions to the field of child and adolescent analysis, the major differences in theory and approach still bear the hallmarks of three of the most significant figures in the field: Anna Freud, Melanie Klein and Donald Winnicott. As well as providing an insight into these differences, this volume

The adolescent finds himself in the very difficult position of having to make all these readjustments whilst he has to deal with the subsequent conflicts and anxieties. The earlier passionate mixture of love and hatred that characterizes the attachment and dependency on the parents must now be renounced until the adolescent reaches a point at which it is possible for him to confirm his own identity and find new love relationships. These must neither be based too much on repetition of previous early attachments, nor be entirely and exaggeratedly opposed to them. It goes without saying that none of this can be achieved without much upheaval and experimenting. The step from adolescence to adulthood is complex and involves not only the individual's emotional experience, but also the continuous input, reactions from the world in which he/she lives. It is these interactions that are described and discussed in this book.

Although there have been many other important contributions to the field of child and adolescent analysis, the major differences in theory and approach still bear the hallmarks of three of the most significant figures in the field: Anna Freud, Melanie Klein and Donald Winnicott. As well as providing an insight into these differences, this volume also portrays the state of child analysis today, whereby we need to reconcile and combine these differences to reveal a common ground from where we can move forward. This is represented by the sheer diversity of the perspectives in this volume, as they in turn show how they can influence the field of child analysis today."This book represents an attempt to portray the state of child psychoanalysis in the British Psychoanalytical Society today. It offers a variety of clinical and theoretical perspectives, and attempts to demonstrate how they influence the world of child analysis in this country. This divergence continues to divide analysts who think of early development and children's mental life differently and therefore approach their small patients in, at times, an entirely different technical way." -- From the IntroductionContributors: Robin Anderson, A.H. Brafman, Luis Rodriguez de la Sierra, Rose Edgecumbe, Edna O'Shaughnessy and Anne-Marie Sandler