This article is intended to familiarize the general practitioner with the important concepts in the practice of psychoanalysis. It provides an overview of the development of the field of psychoanalysis, considering it as theory of personality, as an explanation of psychopathology, and as a research procedure. It also explores psychoanalysis as a method of treatment and presents an outline of the knowledge and training necessary to become a psychoanalyst. A consideration of the analytic process includes a review of the postulates that govern its application--the analytic process, the therapeutic dyad, and psychodynamic interventions. Historical and political issues are examined, including the spread of psychoanalytic theory, the various contributions of important psychoanalytic thinkers, a review of the struggle of nonmedical psychoanalysts to break the one-time monopoly held by medical psychoanalysts, and the ongoing love-hate relationship between clinical practitioners and academic psychologists. In addition to providing this background material, this article explores the issues currently facing the field of psychoanalytic thought--the need for integration of the structural and relational perspectives and the outlook for the future of the discipline.