Charles Rycroft and the Making of an Independent Psychoanalyst

Abstract

This article explores the work of Charles Rycroft and the potential reasons why it has been unjustly-in the author's opinion-consigned to an obscure corner of the history of psychoanalysis and contemporary psychoanalysis. In the first section, the author traces the origins of the Independent group in Great Britain to which Rycroft belonged. The second section outlines the key stages in Rycroft's private and professional life to provide insight into his development as an Independent psychoanalyst. The final section highlights one of the key ideas that Rycroft bequeathed to us: namely, his theory of the therapeutic action of psychoanalysis.