Preface to The Diary of Vaslav Nijinsky by Alfred Adler, MD

This is a previously unpublished work by Alfred Adler that was written in 1936 as a preface to The Diary of Vaslav Nijinsky. A theory of schizophrenia is described in which characteristic prepsychotic features, especially lack of social interest and oversensitivity to real and imagined slights, lead to increasing irrationalism and preoccupation with grandiose ideas. The establishment of a cooperative therapeutic relationship and the instilling of hope are presented as central factors for successful treatment.