The Complete Letters of Sigmund Freud to Wilhelm Fliess, 1887-1904

London, Cambridge, MASS: Belknap Press. 1985. 544 p. ISBN-10: 0674154207; ISBN-13: 978-0674154209.This book is a formidable primary source reviewing the development of Freud's understanding of how people think and act the way they do, an exposition of the patterns so readily observed and hypothetical systems for explaining everyday function as well as diagnosis and treatment. While other books, do a better job of laying out the foundations of psychoanalytic thinking, this one gives real insight into the humanity of Freud, including his love for his children, his longing for friendship, and the heartbreak of trying to transparently and courageously explicate our inner world amid tremendous professional resistance. I felt as if I got to know Freud better and to see how over the course of many years the ideas he worked with were reworked and evolved in the context of his family, his cultural and historical epoch, and through his efforts at self-examination. It is an excellent book and recommended, if not essential, reading.Preface
Note on Method
Abbreviations of Works CitedIntroductionBeginnings of the Friendship
Treatment of Hysteria
Intensification of the Friendship
The Emma Eckstein Episode
Neuroses Redefined
Isolation from the Scientific Community
Periodicity and Self-Analysis
Theory Transformed
The Interpretation of Dreams
Fantasy or Reality?
Decline of the Friendship
Dora and The Psychopathology of Everyday Life
End of the RelationshipAftermathAppendix
Principal Works Cited
Index