Complexes groups of associations arising out of the unconscious have been known and described in all cultures and are integral to the healthy psyche. Breuer first coined the term complexes to describe part personalities. Jung developed the concept further, assigning the shell of the complex with its amplifications and associations to the personal unconscious and postulating a core that is archetypal in nature and rooted in the collective unconscious.

In this book, Dieckmann fills a lacuna by developing a general theory of the complexes that gives both the student and the practicing analyst an overview of this concept for the purposes of diagnosis and therapy. Illustrated throughout with clinical vignettes and diagrams, Complexes provides a clear and orderly path through the chaotic contents of analysis.