From Inner Speech to Dialogue: Psychoanalysis Linguistics and Development Collected papers of Theodore Shapiro

In his own words, Theodore Shapiro has devoted his psychoanalytic life to the study of “the symbolic transformations and resolutions of human mental conflicts as they emerge in fantasy, behavior and character.” In his half-century pursuit of a fuller understanding of homo symbolicus in conflict, he has sought out an impressive range of ideas from across academic disciplines. The papers in this volume demonstrate the range of his creative engagement with scholars and researchers on topics as diverse as memory, child development, linguistics, and semiotics—always resulting in an expansion of psychoanalytic theorizing and new perspectives on clinical practice. On this measure alone, this volume serves as an exemplary tutorial on the productivity inherent in interdisciplinary collaboration between the clinic and the academy. As such, it will resonate with the many young colleagues—like myself—who have benefitted from Ted’s generous mentoring throughout his and their careers.
Readers, familiar with Shapiro’s early interdisciplinary book, Clinical Psycholinguistics (1979), will welcome the opportunity to follow the trajectory, through the subsequent four decades, of his continuing pursuit of the most comprehensive way to conceptualize our uniquely human mind and how to keep listening to its struggles—listening always in a new and better way.
—Bonnie E. Litowitz, Ph.D., Former Editor-in-Chief, JAPA

It is a pleasure to be led on a guided tour through some of the most important developments in psychoanalytic theory and practice, in the evolution of linguistics, in child development research, and in the way that these have influenced and enriched each other over the past half century.  Our guide, Ted Shapiro, is a child psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, linguist, developmental scholar, and a leader in each of these disciplines.  A master teacher, he shares his delight in discovering the deep structures that link these several approaches to the human mind.  Ted loves to play with ideas and especially with children, and they love to play with him.  He also loves to teach, and we respond like those children.
As a special bonus he tells us the stories of Rumpelstiltskin and Santa Claus, in which he plays and teaches at the same time.  The reader will not only learn about several disciplines but will also enjoy making a new treasured friend.
–Robert Michels, MD, Weil Cornell Department of Psychiatry, Author, The Psychiatric Interview in Clinical Practice.

“If we are but signifying monkeys, so much depends on language, from its development in childhood to its influence on what we name and know, from its role in states of interiority to our capacity for mutual recognition.  For over fifty years, Theodore Shapiro has pursued these and other aspects of how language makes the mind, and the mind makes language. This wonderful collection brings together his work at the crossroads of disciplines, and in the end, creates a rich, fascinating map to guide us forward.”
–George Makari, M.D, Professor of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medical College, author of Revolution in Mind: The Creation of Psychiatry and Soul Machine: The Invention of the Modern Mind.   

This book is a collection of papers written from the mid-1970s to 2020 by a renowned psychoanalyst and academic Child and Adolescent psychiatrist. Theodore Shapiro evaluates Sigmund Freud’s discoveries and then sketches and explores the broad trends of twentieth-century psychoanalytic thought. He provides in-depth information about the psychology of childhood and the adolescence passage and  the history of the progressive change in practice of psychoanalysis from monologue to dialogue. He also illustrates the theoretical and practical applications of linguistics to psychoanalytic treatment. I consider this book to be an important textbook, not only for psychoanalysts and other mental health workers, but for anyone who wishes to know about human nature in depth
— Vamık Volkan, M. D., Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry, University of Virginia and the author of Large-Group Psychology: Racism, Societal Divisions, Narcissistic Leaders and Who We Are now.