Psychoanalysis has had a profound influence on 20th-century thought in a wide variety of areas, from psychology and psychiatry to sociology, literature, feminism and politics. Most importantly, it offers insights into the relationship between individual subjectivity and social relations, making it a key discipline for understanding the links between social phenomena and personal experience. First published in 1987, this text offers an introduction to psychoanalytic theory from the point of view of its relevance for social relations. For this second edition, the book has been thoroughly revised, with updated accounts of the theories covered in the first edition, plus new material on contemporary feminist psychoanalytic work and on the engagement of psychoanalysis with postmodernism. The result is a book that combines an introduction to theory with an examination of the value of psychoanalysis for therapeutic and social practice.
