[Rudolf Ekstein's contributions to psychotherapy and child psychiatry]

Rudolf Eksteins scientific career is closely linked to his personal history, with his Jewish heritage, his political involvement and his social work with young people, which guided him towards psychoanalytic educational theory. Following his forced emigration to the USA in 1938 he became a world-famous child therapist, psychoanalyst, scientist and professor of medical psychology at the Department of Psychiatry, UCLA. The most significant areas of Eksteins extensive scientific output are described in an attempt to do justice to his contributions to psychotherapy and child psychiatry. Eksteins introduction of a special technique for treating psychotic children with psychoanalytic psychotherapy was of major importance. His underlying concept of schizophrenic psychosis and borderline personality disorders in children is outlined. Further, we have tried to show in what way his contributions to psychoanalytic theory and techniques were influenced by his profound knowledge of philosophy and linguistics. Finally Eksteins dedications to the teaching and learning of psychotherapy is stressed, from which a whole generation of Austrian psychiatrists, psychologists and pedagogues have profited enormously, as a result of his long-standing teaching commitments as guest professor at Vienna University.