The concept of "classical" psychoanalysis

In this essay, the term classical psychoanalysis is discussed historically and conceptually. What characterizes classical analysis and distinguishes it from current innovative trends in the practice of psychoanalysis is reviewed from a comparative standpoint. The impact of the widened scope of conditions the psychoanalyst currently includes in his therapeutic work is considered, with special attention to the distinction between psychoanalysis per se in the classical sense and psychoanalytic psychotherapy.