“The clinical examples are illustrative, clear,
occasionally self-critical, and modest. It is unusual for an analyst to
write about his mistakes, where he has erred, and where he has done
poorly.
The last section of the book deals with
psychoanalysis as a profession. As we have come to expect from Cooper,
the emphasis here is not an analytic rules or standard technique but on
the analyst’s character, particularly the capacity to resonate and be
empathic with the analysands.”
Harry Trosman , Journal of the American
Psychoanalytic Association 2006 Vol 54 No 2 p659
“In this book we have an excellent example of how
psychoanalysis has grown primarily as a result of clinical work, though
fertilized by neighboring disciplines that augment its base of
knowledge. In addition to the clinical context, Cooper has benefited
from literature, philosophy, infant research, and neurobiology. However,
the major attraction of this work is its emphasis on the analystic
situation as an empirical base for expanding the systematic body of
psychoanalytic knowledge. Finally let me say that in so far as the New
Library of Psychoanalysis was seeking a spokesman for the contemporary
American position, its editors chose well in publishing these papers of
Arnold Cooper.”
Harry Trosman , Journal of the American
Psychoanalytic Association 2006 Vol 54 No 2 p600
“ It follows from Cooper’s stress on plurality,
experiment, empirical research, the value of a psychoanalytic community,
and pragmatic openness that he has an important place in contemporary
psychoanalysis. To use his own language, he is a “lumper” rather than a
“splitter”, a force for mutual investigative collaboration, rather than
a contestant against rival schools”.
Jay Martin, American Imago 2006 Vol 63 No
1 p130
“ Analysts with greatly differing convictions can
learn much from Cooper’s rigorous investigations of the
narcissistic-masochistic character and its derivatives – in their
patients, and perhaps even in themselves”.
Jay Martin , American Imago 2006 Vol 63 No
1 P133
The
books in this series can be ordered from Karnac Books Ltd
