Evolution of the Emotion-Processing Mind

Robert Langs, M.D., is well known as the author of many books on the subject of psychoanalytic psychotherapy, including 'The Technique of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy' (2 volumes), 'Psychotherapy: A Basic Text' , 'A Primer of Psychotherapy ' and 'Decoding Your Dreams'. He is currently Executive Director at the Program for Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy at the Beth Israel Medical Center, New York; Clinical Professor with the Department of Psychiatry, Mt. Sinai Hospital and School of Medicine, New York; and Visiting Clinical Investigator at the Nathan S. Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, New York.

'...Langs provides a satisfying missing link between the adaptational science of evolution and psychoanalytic psychology. Modern evolutionary theory is far more complex and sophisticated today than Darwinian survival of the fittest. Modern psychoanalytic theory is also much more advanced and complex than Freud's early theories. Perhaps these advances and complexity were necessary before the two theories could be compared. Psychoanalytic science will benefit from this association. If Langs has his way, human evolution will benefit from improvement of the function of the human spirit, the basic unit of which Langs refers to as the emotion- processing mind.'- From the Foreword by James O. Raney, M.D.'The Evolution of the Emotion-Processing Mind is a highly original synthesis of psychoanalytic and neo-Darwinian thought providing a pathway to a more profound understanding of human nature, human suffering, and the role of psychotherapy in the amelioration of suffering.'- From the Introduction by David Smith

• "FOREWORD, INTRODUCTION, PART I, Darwin and Freud, Psychoanalysis and evolution, Darwin and Freud, A communicative framework for evaluating Freud, Freud’s evolutionary thinking, PART II, Some biological principles for psychoanalysis, Hierarchies in psychoanalysis, The principles of evolution, The unit of selection, The architecture of the emotion-processing mind, PART III, Evolutionary scenarios for the emotion-processing mind, Setting the stage for an adaptationist programme, An evolutionary scenario: the early hominids, Another scenario: Homo sapiens sapiens, Solving the problems of death and violence, The evolution of frames, rules, and boundaries, Assessing the accomplishments of evolution, PART IV, The emotion-processing mind as a Darwin machine, Mental Darwinism, Selectionism and the therapeutic process, REFERENCES, INDEX "