Hysteria and obsessive neuroses

Otto Fenichel's works "Hysterias and Compulsive Neuroses" and "Perversions, Psychoses, Character Disorders," published simultaneously in 1931, represent the first comprehensive presentation of the specific theory of neuroses. Originating from the seminars Fenichel held at the Berlin Psychoanalytic Institute, he illustrates the typical manifestations of these disorders. Here, the ego psychology that was developing in the 1920s is already recognizable. The two volumes form the foundation for Fenichel's "Psychoanalytic Theory of Neuroses," published in 1945, which was supplemented with a general theory of neuroses and updated in its specific sections. Comparing the two works allows for an understanding of the development of psychoanalysis over these fifteen years and highlights Fenichel's efforts to preserve Freud's theory of illness after his death, as well as to reconcile drive theory and ego psychology.