Alice Miller (1923 – 2010) was an influential and controversial figure in the world of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy. Her first book, The Drama of the Gifted Child (1979), sold millions worldwide. A Freudian analyst, she described how a child’s need for love was often exploited by parents in order to meet the parent’s own unmet needs. Unable to express their true feelings, these children grow up unhappy and depressed, out of touch with their real selves. She was a passionate supporter of children’s rights, fighting to the end to abolish the smacking of children, which she saw as an abuse of power. Parents and psychotherapists owe Miller a huge debt. Ever alert to the abuse of power, she reminded us to question whether we do “know best” and, above all, never to humiliate those who depend on us.
List of Publications.