As the author notes in the preface, several of the sections of this book have been previously published. The emphasis on normality and the study of pathology based on interferences in normal development have been stressed in the communications of other clinicians. Yet, even though the reader will be familar with a great deal of the content, the volume is worthy of reading in its entirety.
Miss Freud introduces the reader to the focal topic of normality by providing a well-organized review of the beginnings of child psychology, as rooted in the reconstruction from adult analysis, child analysis, and direct observation. Of particular interest to the student of psychoanalysis is the chapter dealing with the relations between adult and child analysis. The matter of transference is highlighted.
In examining normal development, the author presents several examples of developmental lines. The line of dependency to emotional self-reliance and