The psychoanalytic theory of neurosis - Otto Fenichel

When Otto Fenichel died suddenly at age 48, Anna
Freud mourned the loss of "his
inexhaustible knowledge of psychoanalysis and
his inimitable way of organizing and presenting
his facts." These qualities shine in his
classic text, which has been a beacon to
generations of psychoanalysts. Investigating the relationship between biological needs and
external influences-the tensions and inhibitions that nurture neuroses-Fenichel concludes that
"neuroses are social diseases,"
arising from the demands of civilization on the
developing organism. For this 50th anniversary
edition, distinguished psychoanalyst Leo Rangell has written an introduction to set the context of Fenichel's work and an epilogue to describe its
influence.