This paper reviews the history of ego psychology, describing problems in the theory that have perhaps contributed to subsequent theory development and theoretical splintering. The present status of ego psychology is then described, with a focus on broadly accepted general principles. A proposal/prediction is then made regarding efforts to integrate the main schools and splinter groups. It is argued that the ego's method of synthesizing aspects of experience will help integrate divergent metapsychological viewpoints.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Abraham, K. (1924). The influence of oral erotism on character formation . In Selected Papers of Karl Abraham. London : Hogarth Press, 1927, pp. 393—406.
2.
Andreasen, N.C., ET AL. (1995). Remembering the past: Two facets of episodic memory explored with PET: American Journal of Psychiatry152:1576—1585.
3.
Aragno, A. (1997). Symbolization. Madison, CT : International Universities Press.
4.
Arieti, S. (1976). Creativity: The Magic Synthesis. New York: Basic Books.
5.
Arlow, J., & Brenner, C. (1964). Psychoanalytic Concepts and the Structural Theory . New York: International Universities Press.
6.
Beebe, B. (1986). Mother-infant mutual influence and precursors of self and object representations. In Empirical Studies of Psychoanalytic Theories. Vol. 2, ed. J. Masling. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
7.
Bellak, L., ET AL. ( 1973). Ego Functions in Schizophrenics, Neurotics and Normals . New York: Wiley.
8.
Boesky, D. (1994). Dialogue on the Brenner paper. Journal of Clinical Psychoanalysis3:509—522.
9.
Brenner, C. (1982). The Mind in Conflict. New York : International Universities Press.
10.
——— (1994). The mind as conflict and compromise formation . Journal of Clinical Psychoanalysis3:473—488.
11.
Bucci, W. (1997). Psychoanalysis and Cognitive Science: A Multiple Code Theory. New York: Guilford Press.
12.
Busch, F. (1995). The Ego at the Center of Clinical Technique. Northvale, NJ: Aronson.
13.
——— ( 1996). The ego and its significance in analytic interventions . Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association44:1073—1099.
14.
Campbell, R. (1989). Psychiatric Dictionary. 6th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
15.
Compton, A. (1983). Status of psychoanalytic theory of instinctual drives: Parts I & II. Psychoanalytic Quarterly50:190—223.
16.
——— (1987). Objects and attitudes. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association35:609—628.
17.
Couch, A.S. (1995). Anna Freud's adult analytic technique: Classical analysis. International Journal of Psycho-Analysis76:153—172.
18.
Eisenberg, L. (1995). The social construction of the human brain. American Journal of Psychiatry152:1563—1575.
19.
Emde, R.N. (1988). Development terminable and interminable: Parts I & II. International Journal of Psycho-Analysis69:23—42, 283—296.
20.
Erikson, E. (1950). Childhood and Society. New York: Norton.
21.
Fairbairn, W.R.D. (1952). Psychoanalytic Studies of the Personality. London: Routledge.
22.
Feinsilver, D.B. (1999). Counteridentification, comprehensive countertransference, and therapeutic action: Toward resolving the intra-psychic-interactional dichotomy . Psychoanalytic Quarterly68:264—301.
23.
Fogel, G., Tyson, P., Greenberg, J., Mclaughlin, J., & Peyser, E. (1996). A classic revisited: Loewald on the therapeutic action of psychoanalysis. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association44:863—924.
24.
——— ED. ( 1991). The Work of Hans Loewald: An Introduction and Commentary. Northvale, NJ: Aronson.
25.
Freud, A. (1936). The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defense. New York: International Universities Press , 1966.
26.
Freud S. (1900). The interpretation of dreams. Standard Edition4/5.
27.
——— (1908). Character and anal erotism. Standard Edition9:169—175.
28.
——— (1915). The unconscious. Standard Edition14:166—175.
29.
——— (1917). Mourning and melancholia. Standard Edition14:166—215.
30.
——— (1921). Group psychology and the analysis of the ego. Standard Edition18:67—143.
31.
——— (1923). The ego and the id. Standard Edition19:12—66.
32.
——— (1950). Project for a scientific psychology. Standard Edition1:295—397.
33.
Gabbard, G. (1997). A reconsideration of objectivity in the analyst . International Journal of Psychoanalysis78:15—46.
34.
Gill, M. (1982). Analysis of Transference. Vol. 1. New York: International Universities Press.
35.
Gray, P. (1994). The Ego and Analysis of Defense. Northvale, NJ: Aronson.
36.
Greenberg, J., & Mitchell, S. (1983). Object Relations in Psychoanalytic Theory. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
37.
Greenspan, S.I. (1989). The Development of the Ego. Madison, CT: International Universities Press.
38.
Grossman, W. (1992). Hierarchies, boundaries, and representation in the Freudian model of mental organization. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association40:27—62.
39.
Hamilton, N.G. (1996). The Self and the Ego in Psychotherapy. Northvale, NJ: Aronson.
40.
Hartmann, H. (1938). Ego Psychology and the Problem of Adaptation. New York: International Universities Press , 1958.
41.
Hofer, M.A. (1997). Origins of affect, drive, and representation in early development: A basic science approach. Paper presented at the New York Freudian Society.
42.
Holmes, D.E. (1996). Emerging indicators of ego growth and associated resistances. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association44:1101—1119.
43.
Jacobson, E. (1954). The self and the object world. The Psychoanalytic Study of the Child. 9:75 —127.
44.
——— (1964). The Self and the Object World. New York: International Universities Press.
45.
Kernberg, O. (1975). Borderline Conditions and Pathological Narcissism . New York: Aronson.
46.
Kohut, H. (1971). The Analysis of the Self. New York: International Universities Press.
47.
Lafarge, L. (1995). Transferences of deception. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association43:765-792.
48.
Laplanche, J., & Pontalis, J.-B. (1967). The Language of Psycho-Analysis , transl. D. Nicholson-Smith. New York: Norton, 1973.
49.
Ledoux, J. (1989). Cognitive-emotional interactions in the brain . Cognition and Emotion. 3(4):267—289.
50.
Levin, F.M. (1997). Integrating some mind and brain views of transference: The phenomena. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association45:1121—1151.
51.
Lidz, T. (1983). The Person. 2nd ed. New York: Basic Books.
52.
Loewald, H. (1980). Papers on Psychoanalysis. New Haven: Yale University Press.
53.
Luborsky, L. (1993). Psychodynamic Treatment Research. New York: Basic Books.
54.
Mahler, M. (1968).OnHumanSymbiosisandthe Vicissitudes of Individuation . New York: International Universities Press.
55.
Marcus, E.R. (1992). Psychosis and Near Psychosis: Ego Function, Symbol Structure, Treatment. New York: Springer-Verlag.
56.
——— (in press). Psychosis and Near Psychosis: Ego Function, Symbol Structure, Treatment. Rev. ed. Madison, CT: International Universities Press.
57.
Mcdevitt, J.B. (1979). Internalization: Development, object relations, separation-individuation. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association27:327—344.
58.
Moore, B., & Fine, B.D. (1990). Psychoanalytic Terms and Concepts. New Haven: Yale University Press.
59.
Nersessian, E., & Solms, M., EDS. (1999). Neuro-psychoanalysis: An Interdisciplinary Journal for Psychoanalysis and the Neurosciences, vol. 1., no. 1.
60.
Peskin, M. (1997). Drive theory revisited. Psychoanalytic Quarterly66:377—402.
61.
Piaget, J. (1977). The Development of Thought: Equilibration of Cognitive Structures, transl. A. Rosin. New York: Viking Press.
62.
Pine, F. (1990). Drive, Ego, Object, Self. New York: Basic Books.
63.
Plutchik, R. (1980). Emotion: A Psychoevolutionary Synthesis. New York: Harper & Row.
64.
Racker, H. (1968). Transference and Countertransference. New York: International Universities Press .
65.
Rangell, L. (1985). The object in psychoanalytic theory. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association33:301—334.
66.
Rapaport, D. (1959). A historical survey of psychoanalytic ego psychology . In Identity and the Life Cycle: Selected Papers by Erik H. Erikson. Psychological Issues Monograph1. New York: International Universities Press, pp. 5—18.
Richards, A.D. (1995). The politics of exclusion and the politics of pluralism. A. A. Brill Lecture, New YorkPsychoanalytic Society.
69.
——— & Lynch, A.A. (1999). From ego psychology to contemporary conflict theory: An historical overview. In The Modern Freudians: Contemporary Psychoanalytic Technique, ed. C.S. Ellman , S. Grand, M. Silvan, & S.J. Ellman.Northvale, NJ: Aronson .
70.
Schafer, R. (1968). Aspects of Internalization. New York: International Universities Press.
71.
Schore, A. (1994). Affect Regulation and the Origins of the Self: The Neurobiology of Emotional Development. Hillsdale, NJ : Erlbaum.
72.
Schwaber, E.A. (1999). From whose viewpoint?Psychoanalytic Quarterly67:645—661.
73.
Shapiro, D. (1965). Neurotic Styles. New York: Basic Books.
74.
Silbersweig, D. (1995). PET Scans of hallucinations. Nature378:176—179.
75.
Stern, D. (1985). The Interpersonal World of the Infant. New York: Basic Books.
76.
Stolorow, R.D., Atwood, G.E., & Brandchaft, B. (1994). The Intersubjective Perspective . Northvale, NJ: Aronson.
77.
Sullivan, H. (1953). The Interpersonal Theory of Psychiatry. New York: Norton.
78.
Tyson, P., & Tyson, R. (1990). Psychoanalytic Theories of Development. New Haven: Yale University Press.
79.
Vaillant, G. (1993). The Wisdom of the Ego. Cambridge : Harvard University Press.
80.
Vaughan,S.C.,& Roose, S.P. (1995). The analytic process: Clinical and research definitions . International Journal of Psycho-Analysis76:343—356.
81.
Waelder, R. (1936). The principle of multiple function. Psychoanalytic Quarterly5:45—62.
82.
Waldron, S., JR. (1997). How can we study the efficacy of psychoanalysis? A point of view. Psychoanalytic Quarterly66:283—322.
83.
Wallerstein, R.S. (1986). Forty-two Lives in Treatment. New York: Guilford Press.
84.
Weber, J., ET AL. (1985). Outcome of psychoanalysis: Parts 1—4 . International Review of Psycho-Analysis12: 379—390.
85.
Weil, A.P. (1970). The basic core. Psychoanalytic Study of the Child25:442—460.
86.
Westen, D. (1997). Towards a clinically and empirically sound theory of motivation. International Journal of Psycho-Analysis78:521—548.
87.
Winnicott, D. (1965). The Maturational Processes and the Facilitating Environment. New York: International Universities Press.