Belief and Imagination

Ronald Britton is a psychoanalyst in private practice in London, and a training and supervising analyst of the British Psychoanalytical Association.

'Belief and Imagination is a pleasure to read and a reward to study. It confirms the author's status as one of the foremost contributors to modern psychoanalytic theory and practice. It is a clear and insightful book rich in clinical, theoretical, and applied psychoanalytic wisdom, and should be a valuable addition to the library of any psychoanalyst.' - Howard Levine, Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, Vol. 50, No. 3, 2002'[this book] is in my view both traditional and revolutionary... In the tradition of the post Kleinians, Ronald Britton in Belief and Imagination breaks new ground.' - Marilyn Lawrence, Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, Vol. 14, No. 1, 2000'Many book reviews end with a recommendation to read or to buy the book. In this case a recommendation is not enough. This book is essential reading for anyone wanting to keep psychoanalytic thought alive and well.' - Dr Anton Obholzer

• Acknowledgements. Introduction. Belief and Psychic Reality. Naming and Containing. Oedipus in the Depressive Position. Subjectivity, Objectivity and Triangular Space. The Suspension of Belief and the 'As-if' Syndrome. Before and After the Depressive Position. Complacency in Analysis and Everyday Life. The Analust's Intuition: Selected Fact or Overvalued Idea? Daydream, Phantasy and Fiction. The Other Room and Poetic Space. Wordsworth: The Loss of Presence and the Presence of Loss. Existential Anxiety: Rilke's Duino Elegies. Milton's Destructive Narcissist or Blake's True Self? William Blake and Epistemic Narcissism. Publication Anxiety. References. Index.