Table of Contents

Introduction. The Couple's Historical and Socio-Cultural Envelope. Some Historical Points of Reference, Or the Construction of an Object of Knowledge and of Psychoanalytic Treatment. About Some Psychic Components Present within the Couple. Sketching a ‘Natural’ History of a Couple. Couple Work. The Suffering Couple, Their Request for a Consultation and the Psychoanalytic Work. Conclusion.

About the Author

Éric Smadja is a psychiatrist, a psychoanalyst, a member of the Société Psychanalytique de Paris and of the International Psychoanalytic Association (IPA), a couples psychoanalyst, and also an anthropologist and associate member of the American Anthropological Association. In 2007, he was awarded the IPA’s Prize for "Exceptional Contribution Made to Psychoanalytic Research". He is the author of several books, many of which have been translated into English.