Arminda Aberastury’s Theory and Technique of Child Analysis

Arminda Aberastury was a pioneering child analyst and contemporary of Anna Freud and Melanie Klein. She developed and popularised child psychoanalysis in Latin America and remains a profound inspiration to this day. This first ever English translation accompanied by contemporary commentaries will bring her seminal work to a whole new audience.

Arminda Aberastury’s Theory and Technique of Child Analysis contains a selection of original chapters written by Arminda Aberastury that are each accompanied by a commentary from leading contemporary child analysts to show the continuing global relevance of Arminda’s mid-century work in Argentina. The commentaries are written by authors from all over the world, namely Minnie Dastur, Judith Edwards, Jeanne Magagna, Elizabeth Palacios, Joaquín Pichon-Rivière, Nydia Lisman Pieczanski, David E. Scharff, Jill Savege Scharff, Lea Sofer de Setton, Alan Sugarman, and Virginia Ungar. The book is further enriched by an editorial introduction, Foreword by Virginia Ungar, and personal reminiscences from Arminda’s son, Joaquín Pichon-Rivière.

Arminda is a woman whose voice needs to be heard. She was at the forefront of developing child psychoanalysis in Argentina and created an interdisciplinary approach that influenced other professionals working with children in fields as diverse as pediatrics, pediatric dentistry, law, and education. The impact of her work spread to all over Latin America. This book demonstrates her growth as a child analyst, moving from a Freudian perspective closer to a Kleinian view of the stages of infant development, assisted by her correspondence with Melanie Klein. Within, she provides a summary of Anna Freud and Melanie Klein’s approaches to child analysis and examples of her own continuing research throughout her career. The book is packed full of interesting theoretical concepts and case studies that detail her clinical technique and demonstrate her sensitivity and compassion in her work with children. It is illustrated with black and white photographs of Arminda and line drawings from her work.

Jill Savege Scharff and Lea Sofer de Setton have performed a profound service to the field of child psychoanalysis by bringing Arminda Aberastury to a whole new audience. Her work will inspire a whole new generation of child psychoanalysts and other professionals working with children.