Whether or not we know it, our daily lives are shaped by powerful current of instinct. The conscious and unconscious decisions we make are deeply affected by an ancient and universal genetic programme. Our ambition and lust, our drives to compete and to co-operate are essential components of the human mind, forged among our ancestors on the African savannah. Instincts were instrumental in the evolutionary success of the species, and success meant a fondness for sex and violence, for status and wealth - and a will to survive. From ordering lunch to one night stands, human behaviour is still heavily influenced by this genetic agenda. But how well do instincts equip us for the 21st century? Do instincts help or hinder us as we deal with large anonymous cities, low-level stress, the battle of the sexes, and the fracturing of communal life?

How well do our instincts equip us for twenty-first century? This book takes us on a journey into the human mind. It takes a personal look at the relationship between science and religion and explores those very instincts that make us human.

Psychoanalysis, entering its second century, is a vital yet divided discipline. A confusing array of mutually contradictory theories compete for the loyalty of clinicians and for the attention of all those interested in understanding human experience. In the classic Object Relations in Psychoanalytic Theory, Jay Greenberg and his coauthor Stephen Mitchell brought clarity to the confusion surrounding psychoanalytic disputes. They defined two competing models: the drive model, which addresses the private dimensions of experience; and the relational model, which reveals the relentlessly social aspect of our lives. Oedipus and Beyond builds on Greenberg's earlier contribution. Beginning with a brilliant critique of the conceptual framework of psychoanalysis, he provides fresh insight into Freud's theory, demonstrating how attempts to resolve some of its shortcomings have generated their own theoretical and clinical dilemmas.