Everyone feels and acts according to their own personality structure. The various well-known structures – the narcissistic, the schizoid, the depressive, the compulsive, the anxious or the hysterical personality – all represent the expression of basic conflicts unresolved since early childhood. Although we rarely find these personality types in their purest form, they do exist and may dominate one's experiences and behavior, choice of profession and attitude toward one's work, choice of partner and style of partnership, hobbies chosen and ability to enjoy life.Karl König wrote this volume based on a wealth of clinical experience. It is a book for all who are interested in developing a psychoanalytic understanding of their own behavior and of that of others.

Professor Dr. med. Karl König (1931–2018) war Facharzt für Innere Medizin und Psychosomatische Medizin, Psychotherapeut und Supervisor von internationaler Bekanntheit. Als Leiter der Abteilung für Klinische Gruppenpsychotherapie am Universitätsklinikum Göttingen hat er diese über viele Jahre hinweg weiterentwickelt und geprägt. Von 1978 bis 1994 war er Vorsitzender des Lou-Andreas-Salomé-Instituts in Göttingen – Ausbildungszentrum für Psychotherapie und Psychoanalyse.