Stephen A. Mitchell

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Stephen A. Mitchell (d. 2000) was a clinical psychologist and psychoanalys whose writings helped to clarify many disparate psychoanalytic theories and theoreticians. His book with Jay R. Greenberg, Object Relations in Psychoanalytic Theory (1983), became a classic textbook in graduate schools and post-graduate institutions, providing a clear and systematic comparison of what had long been a highly complex and often confusing set of disparate theories.

Object Relations in Psychoanalytic Theory distinguished between psychoanalytic theories that emphasize biological drives such as sexuality and aggression, on the one hand, and theories that emphasize human relationships, on the other. The former were referred to as drive/conflict theories, and the latter were termed relational/conflict theories. Mitchell and Greenberg argued that drive theories and relational theories are conceptually incompatible, and psychoanalysis must therefore choose between them. After their book, the ideas of Mitchell and Greenberg diverged. Mitchell became generally acknowledged as the founder of the school of psychoanalysis known as Relational, which he described in his books, which include "Relational Concepts in Psychoanalysis" (1988), "Hope and Dread in Psychoanalysis" (1993), "Influence and Autonomy in Psychoanalysis" (1997), "Relationality" (2000), "Can Love Last?" (2001), and, with Margaret Black, "Freud and Beyond: A History of Psychoanalytic Thought" (1996).

One of Mitchell's most important accomplishments was the establishment of the international psychoanalytic journal, "Psychoanalytic Dialogues," a highly influential scholarly quarterly that continues to bring Relational Psychoanalysis to a wide audience. Mitchell served as Editor for the journal's first ten years, 1990-2000. After the publication of his first book, with Greenberg, he was in great demand, and he spoke and taught his ideas all across the United States, Europe, and Israel.

In addition to his scholarly contributions, Mitchell was also an important political figure in psychoanalysis. He was instrumental in developing a number of psychoanalytic organizations, including the [American Psychological Association]'s Division of Psychoanalysis, the Relational Track of the New York University Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis, and a variety of other groups. Two of Mitchell's early scholarly articles were a decisive influence in reforming the mental health community's tendency to pathologize homosexuality.

Mitchell died of cardiac arrest while working out on an aerobic exerciser at age 54. His final book, published posthumously and entitled Can Love Last? was an application of relational theory to love relationships.