The Clinical Problem of Masochism

Reviews / Votes

Masochism is explored by contemporary psychoanalytic thinkers in a nuanced and complex fashion. Clinicians will find many ideas about the meaning and function of masochism relevant to their work with patients. The book is filled with case studies that provide helpful examples of interventions that can free patient-clinician pairs from treatment impasses. -- Judy L. Kantrowitz, PhD, Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, Harvard Medical School In a wonderful edited array of richly illuminating essays, based on their long term workshop at APsaA, Holtzman and Kulish have updated "masochism"-this common but baroque pursuit of psychic pain. They show clinically modern expansions and variants of the original Freudian formulations, and new re-interpretations. Significant writers and clinicians here apply the current wide range of psychoanalytic theories-ego psychological and developmental, self psychology, relational, object relational, attachment and affect regulation, and Kleinian. The result is a substantial and helpful read. All clinicians and teachers will benefit from the thinking in these searching and often challenging clinical examples -- Rosemary H. Balsam M.D., Western New England Institute for Psychoanalysis; Yale Medical School; author of WOMEN'S BODIES IN PSYCHOANALYSIS The term masochism brings to mind some of the most difficult theoretical problems, and some of the most troublesome clinical dilemmas, in psychoanalysis. Some people actively seek pain, suffering, and humiliation. Who are they? How did they come to these strategies? What are their clinical manifestations? How can we understand them? How can we help them? Deanna Holtzman and Nancy Kulish have assembled the foremost thinkers in the field-ego psychology, object relations, Kleinian, self-psychology, developmentalist-to explore these questions, offer illustrations of their clinical work, and provide support for practitioners who experience the pain of working with these suffering patients. This volume belongs on the shelf of any therapist who works with patients who have masochistic themes to their characters, and that means all patients. -- Robert Michels M.D., Cornell University; Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research