Since its inception psychoanalysis has been hailed as a revolutionary theory of how the mind works whilst some of its ideas such as the Oedipus complex have become part of everyday conversation In Psychoanalysis A Very Short Introduction Daniel Pick offers a lucid lively & wide-ranging survey of psychoanalysis This book offers the reader a flavour of what it might be like to enter treatment & suggests the possible surprises that can await both analyst & patient as well as the potential benefits Yet whilst Freud's writings have shaped the way many of us understand dreams desires & destructiveness as well as anxieties blunders & guilt numerous critics have warned of the dangerous methods & time-bound assumptions of psychoanalysis doubted the efficacy of its drawn-out methods & dismissed its core claims as pseudo-science Looking at modern ideas of the self exploring the nature of unconscious aspects of relationships & considering how psychoanalysis has evolved Pick ponders the particular challenges now facing the analytic profession & shows why psychoanalysis remains an important resource for investigating the mind its creative functioning & many afflictions ABOUT THE SERIES The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly Our expert authors combine facts analysis perspective new ideas & enthusiasm to make interesting & challenging topics highly readable