This book, a classic in Finnish psychoanalytic thinking, presents central features of the work of leading psychoanalysts Pentti Ikonen and Eero Rechardt for an English-speaking audience, focussing on the integration of Freud's final drive theory with object relations theory. Their most thought-provoking contribution is a new interpretation of Thanatos (the death drive), which forms the core of this book. It opens up a totally new perspective not only on aggressiveness, but also on phenomena like narcissism and shame.

À propos des auteurs

Ikonen, Pentti

Pentti Ikonen, MA, is a training psychoanalyst who has worked in private practice in Helsinki. He has held several positions of trust in the Finnish Psychoanalytical Society, of which he is an Honorary Member. He has published extensively on the theory and practice of psychoanalysis.

Rechardt, Eero

Eero Rechardt is a docent of psychiatry at the University of Helsinki. He is a training psychoanalyst who has worked in private practice in Helsinki. He has held several positions of trust in the Finnish Psychoanalytical Society, of which he is an Honorary Member. He was Vice President of the International Psychoanalytical Association 1981–1983. He has published widely in the field of psychoanalysis.