Clara M. Thompson’s Early Years and Professional Awakening

Ann D’Ercole tells the story of Clara M. Thompson, drawing extensively on unpublished archival interviews and correspondence, to provide a full and complex picture of an early American pioneer of psychoanalysis.

The book begins by exploring Thompson’s youth, which was steeped in evangelical Christianity, and conveys the difficulty that Thompson experienced as she resisted the restrictive conventions of femininity prevalent at the time. Despite this, Thompson’s talent as a student continually shines through, as D’Ercole gives readers an account of Thompson’s life at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where she would work alongside the innovative psychiatrist, Adolf Meyer. Thompson’s ground-breaking theoretical and clinical achievements continue to be celebrated, as D’Ercole explores Thompson’s life-changing experiences whilst in psychoanalytic treatment with Sándor Ferenczi.

By allowing her voice to prevail, this book recognizes Thompson’s vital work in the formulation of interpersonal psychoanalysis, rendering it invaluable for interpersonal psychoanalysts wishing to understand Thompson’s role in the development of the school.