The century during which psychoanalysis developed was a creative interval of transition, when hysterical and ritualistic object relations permitted the great Freudian truths to be articulated. For about thirty years, from the theory of dreams and sexuality to the discovery of narcissistic transference, psychoanalysts enjoyed a realistic experience of synthesis. But, according to Harold Feldman, the science of personality, given such a profound impetus by Freud and his colleagues almost a hundred years ago, has receded and faded. The XYZ of Psychoanalysis is a unique examination of the future of psychoanalysis, based on its Freudian past. Although the author was a passionate Freudian, he writes simply and without relying on ideology. He proposes that we understand psychoanalysis as an organic link in the history of Freudian thought. His view of the historical context of psychoanalysis, his examination of the dominant occupational hazard (psychopathy of the practitioner), and his understanding of and ability to articulate the fundamentals of the science of the mind move his work beyond the scope of any other treatise on the subject.

The XYZ of Psychoanalysis is particularly relevant to the psychotherapeutic practitioner who would otherwise be forced to sift through the literature to gain such a broad understanding of the great century of psychoanalysis. It also addresses fundamental issues of interest to a wide-ranging audience of historians, sociologists, students of literature, and political philosophers.