This book is the first to apply psychoanalytic methods and concepts to the work of Adam Smith, a moral philosopher of the 18th century and a prominent member of the Scottish Enlightenment. With particular focus on Smith's two major works, The Theory of Moral Sentiments and The Wealth of Nations, the book examines some of the psychological difficulties that affected Smith personally, and the human capacities and skills that are necessary to put Smith's concepts into practice. Drawing upon the intellectual heritage of the hermeneutic tradition, psychoanalysis and economics, chapters propose several interpretations of Adam's work to highlight the development of his theory of morality.