Narcissism, the self, and society

Fine, author of The Psychoanalytic Vision and other studies, examines the historical development of the concepts of narcissism and the self and relates that development to psychoanalytic theory as a whole. In recent decades, these two concepts have been at the forefront of some of the most important additions to and controversies within psychoanalysis. Fine is at his best in surveying narcissism and related issues from a historical and social-science perspective. He also writes about Freudian theory in a simple, clear manner, ably summarizing the critiques of that theory.