This volume was first published in 1967 with an initial reissue in 1984. It is addressed to students of adolescent psychopathology in general and to students of the borderline and narcissistic personality disorders in particular. It was the first systematic research to challenge and place in perspective the then prevalent "adolescent turmoil" theory: the growth process of adolescence was producing symptoms which would subside as the patient grew older. This view had led to a tendency to deny the seriousness of psychopathology and, therefore, to postpone necessary treatment.