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The Joy of Torment: Understanding and Managing Sadomasochism

Editor : Salman Akhtar, Editor : Lisa Crilley

Reviews and Endorsements

'This is an exceptional and rare book. The “cursed problem of masochism”, as Ferenczi put it in 1931, has never received such broad-ranging and deep attention from a group of distinguished psychoanalysts. This compendium is not only a thorough summation of the issues involved in sadomasochism but also a fascinating stroll through the works of Freud and his successors right up to the present day.'
Marilia Aisenstein, Training and Supervising Analyst, Hellenic Psychoanalytic Society and Paris Psychoanalytic Society, Author of Desire, Pain, and Thought

'In this book, an international group of experienced clinicians examine sadomasochism from multiple viewpoints. They address topics as diverse as sadistic enactments and pornography, e-sadomasochism and martyrdom, and sadomasochistic sexual excitement and human cruelty. The result is a fascinating book replete with fresh insights of theoretical importance and clinical value.'
Fakhry Davids, MD, Training and Supervising Analyst, British Psychoanalytical Society, Author of Internal Racism

'This groundbreaking collection offers a comprehensive exploration of sadomasochism, humiliation, omnipotence, and cruelty from developmental, clinical, and social perspectives, including perverse forms of virtual sexuality in the internet age. With compelling case studies and incisive theoretical formulations, the book provides a profound understanding of human frailty, approaching challenging subjects with a resolutely ethical and non-judgmental stance. Reading this book is enriching and essential for anyone seeking to understand the depths of human aggression and destructiveness in physical, mental and sociocultural domains.'
Michael Shoshani, PsyD, MBA, Training and Supervising Analyst, Tel Aviv Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis, Author of Timeless Grandiosity and Eroticised Contempt

'This comprehensive book is a necessary reading for all the clinicians interested in an in-depth journey on the theme [...] The authors succeed in extensively addressing such a fascinating and complex subject, and in offering non-judgemental, ontogenetic as well as heuristic perspectives in their attempts to answer the many questions that sadomasochism present us with, hence successfully stimulating and entertaining a particularly interesting and fruitful dialogue in this essential and highly recommended publication on the subject.'
Federica De Angelis, Psychodynamic Practice, Volume 32, Issue 2, 2026