Herbert Rosenfeld - Then and Now

Karin Johanna Zienert-Eilts, Dr phil Dipl-Psych, psychoanalyst (DPG/IPV) in private practice in Berlin and lecturer at the Psychoanalytic Institute Berlin, works on the topics of psychoanalytic theory development, history of psychoanalysis, processes in groups as well as sociopolitical topics. She is the author of a number of journal articles and books, including Karl Abraham: Eine Biografie im Kontext der psychoanalytischen Bewegung.Wolfgang Hegener, Priv-Doz Dr phil, is a psychoanalyst in private practice in Berlin, a training analyst (DPG, IPV, DGPT), and a university lecturer in cultural studies at the Humboldt University in Berlin. His main areas of interest are the Jewish roots of psychoanalysis, the psychoanalysis of anti-Semitism, and the relationship between psychoanalysis and philosophy. He is the author of numerous books and journal articles, including Im Anfang war die Schrift. Sigmund Freud und die Jüdische Bibel.

• ContentsPermissionsAcknowledgementsAbout the editors and contributorsPreface to the German editionIrma Brenman PickPreface to the English editionJohn SteinerIntroductionPart IHistorical perspectives: biographical, conceptual-historical, and clinical-theoretical roots1. On the biography of Herbert RosenfeldKarin J. Zienert-Eilts2. My father Herbert Rosenfeld: a personal view on his lifeAngela Rosenfeld3. Herbert Rosenfeld and the distinction between “defensive” and “destructive” narcissismRonald Britton4. Melanie Klein’s “inner Hitler” and Herbert Rosenfeld’s “Mafia”: on figures of thought [Denk-Figuren] in transference and countertransferenceClaudia FrankPart IISupervision with Herbert Rosenfeld in Europe: Italy, Germany, and France5. Herbert Rosenfeld’s contributions to psychoanalysis in light of his supervisions in ItalyRiccardo Steiner6. Herbert Rosenfeld’s significance for German psychoanalystsKlaus Wilde7. Supervision with Herbert Rosenfeld: reminiscences and afterthoughtsAngela GoyenaPart IIIOn the clinical significance of Herbert Rosenfeld: implications and further developments8. Herbert Rosenfeld and the therapy of psychoses: a complex courseFranco de Masi9. Adhesive transference – “The almost physical type of connection with the patient”: Herbert Rosenfeld’s pioneering understanding of primitive mental organisations and their transformationsHans-Jürgen Eilts10. A tale of a scorpion and a frog: clinical considerations and social dynamics of destructive narcissismCarolin Haas and Nils F. TöpferPart IVSocio-political applications of Herbert Rosenfeld’s concept of destructive narcissism11. Applying my theory of psychosis to the Nazi phenomenonHerbert Rosenfeld12. Herbert Rosenfeld’s transposition of the individual into the collective: critical spurs to further thinkingInterview with Hermann Beland13. How Herbert Rosenfeld can help us to understand Nazi perpetrators: the example of Adolf EichmannWolfgang Hegener14. Destructive narcissism and the susceptibility to “perverted containing” using the example of destructive populism: further psychoanalytical considerationsKarin J. Zienert-EiltsBibliographyAppendixIndex

‘This beautifully constructed book describes Herbert Rosenfeld’s groundbreaking theoretical and technical contributions to the psychoanalytic understanding of psychotic processes in the individual and in society in the context of his personal history, so emblematic of the sociopolitical turmoil of Europe in the middle of the twentieth century. It will be invaluable to clinicians who treat borderline and psychotic patients and who struggle to understand the dominance that destructive processes can have on the human mind. It will also be of great interest to students of social and political science; the book is an outstanding example of the application of psychoanalytical thinking to the understanding of historical and contemporary political movements and institutions.’