Observation and the Psychoanalytic Imagination

Reviews / Votes

'It is no easy task to capture the breadth of Margaret Rustin's influence - her thinking, her teaching, her writing - within the field of child psychotherapy and the wider world of psychoanalysis. This volume of essays reflects the range of her contributions: theory, infant observation, drama, literature, research. In each of these domains, Margaret has been not only a pioneer with her own original insights but also a generous facilitator, nurturing the minds and careers of countless students and colleagues.

Her gift is most vividly seen in her commentaries on infant observation, a discipline at the heart of child psychotherapy training and a foundation for many psychoanalytic trainings. Here, Margaret's capacity to illuminate the meanings of clinical work undertaken by others is particularly striking. She brings together rigorous psychoanalytic and philosophical inquiry with a wealth of clinical narrative, holding both in a delicate and creative balance.

What distinguishes her writing is the way her mind continually engages with and plays through stories. This quality lends her work a freshness that is rare: one reads her essays not only for their intellectual depth but also for the sheer pleasure of the prose, the imaginative stimulus of her reflections, and the vitality of the narratives she weaves. Margaret Rustin's voice remains a source of inspiration - probing, generous, and alive to the possibilities of psychoanalytic thought.'

Francis Grier, psychoanalyst; editor, International Journal of Psychoanalysis

'This book of broadly theoretical papers -- the companion volume to Margaret Rustin's earlier clinical collection -- is the fruit of over 50 years of clinical child psychotherapy practice, and of decades as Head of Child Psychotherapy Training at the Tavistock and of international teaching and lecturing. It addresses central psychoanalytic themes, ranging from the theoretical underpinnings of didactic and participant infant observation to a virtuoso analysis of children's dreaming; from the fundamental principles underlying supervision and clinical research to the mutual enrichment of psychoanalysis and works of literature. The papers convey fundamental ideas and original innovations in simple language: always mind-expanding, often dazzling. The book will provide continuing inspiration to clinicians, but also to anyone interested in a psychoanalytic view of human cultural life, and indeed of human life more generally and of how it can be understood.'

Maria Rhode, child analyst; professor emerita of Child Psychotherapy

'From a lifetime's work with children and adolescents suffering complex mental health difficulties, this book gathers a vivid collection of Margaret Rustin's papers written for diverse audiences. Rustin's writing is fresh and three dimensional, as if the reader is part of the workshops, supervision groups or inter-disciplinary discussions that have provided such fertile ground. It is filled with discoveries in contexts of considerable relevance, connecting the reader time and again with the creative possibilities of psychoanalytic work.'

Rajni Sharma, consultant child & adolescent psychotherapist; director Northern School of Child & Adolescent Psychotherapy