The Wolf-Man case: classical and self-psychological perspectives

Freud's description of his analysis and treatment of the Wolf-Man will be forever regarded as an extraordinary clinical and theoretical achievement. What has been attempted in this paper is to demonstrate how selected aspects of the Wolf-Man case could be interpreted using a self-psychology paradigm. The intent was not to demean Freud or to undermine the theoretical and clinical contributions of drive/structure theory. Rather, I have attempted to show how Freud's analysis and treatment of the Wolf-Man might have been enhanced by a familiarity with more recent developments in psychoanalysis.