A connection between sadism and masochism was noted first by Krafft-Ebing. Freud took up this theme of complementarity and in the Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality he considered sadism and masochism as two sides of the same coin, implying an identification of the sadist with the masochist and vice versa. This book continues this tradition although it is more about the development of masochism than sadism.

The authors are trained in both child and adult analysis and their interest in the developmental origins of sadomasochism shines through in this book. Indeed their emphasis on the developmental aspect of sadomasochism and its representation