Psychoanalysis and the family in twentieth-century France: Françoise Dolto and her legacy

In The Last Quarter Of The Twentieth Century, If French People Had A Parenting Problem Or Dilemma There Was One Person They Consulted Above All: Francoise Dolto (1908-88). But Who Was Dolto? How Did She Achieve A Position Of Such Influence? What Ideas Did She Communicate To The French Public? This Book Connects The Story Of Dolto's Rise To Two Broader Histories: The Dramatic Growth Of Psychoanalysis In Postwar France And The Long-running Debate Over The Family And The Proper Role Of Women In Society. It Shows That Dolto's Continued Reputation In France As A Liberal And Enlightened Educational Thinker Is At Best Only Partially Deserved And That Conservative And Anti-feminist Ideas Often Underpinned Her Prominent Public Interventions. While Dolto Retains The Status Of A National Treasure, Her Career Has Had Far-reaching And Sometimes Harmful Repercussions For French Society, Particularly In The Treatment Of Autism. Richard Bates. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 235-252) And Index.