Harry Stack Sullivan (1892-1949) has been described as "the most original figure in American psychiatry." Challenging Freud's psychosexual theory, Sullivan founded the interpersonal theory of psychiatry, which emphasized the role of interpersonal relations, society and culture as the primary determinants of personality development and psychopathology. Interpersonal theory can be seen to complement the theories of object relations, self psychology and psychosocial development. A complex and at times a personally difficult man, Sullivan's very important contribution to psychoanalysis, psychology and social science has not so far received the attention it deserves. In this comprehensive reassessment, F. Barton Evans explicates and critiques Sullivan's theory of personality development over the life cycle, his view of psychopathology and his detailed exploration of the psychiatric interview as it relates to interpersonal psychotherapy.

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