As against the background of an unconditioned reception of Darwinian theory and its developments, mainly in the field of ethology, a reflection deploys itself on complex theoretical themes, such as identity, consciousness and motivation. This leads Jervis to deal not only and not as much with psychoanalysis, as with a broader theoretical framework, labelled as “dynamic psychology”. Contributions from different fields of contemporary psychological knowledge, particularly from cognitive sciences, personality and social psychology and developmental observations converge into this new framework. A proposal is made that is characterized by a peculiar critical sensitivity and is open to future developments. it is in this new light that Jervis was able to carry out a retrospective recognition of the century of Psychoanalysis.
