Paulo César Sandler, MD, MSc, is an active member of the Brazilian Psychoanalytic Society of São Paulo [Sociedade Brasileira de Psicanálise de São Paulo], where he also received his training. His insightful critical studies in psychoanalytic theory and practice, as well as his work on the historical and cultural origins of psychoanalytic thought (e.g. Sandler, 1997), have made him one of Brazil's best-known and most respected psychoanalysts. He is a psychoanalyst who is not caught up in any particular doctrine, but who has an all-encompassing view of the field, as well as an appreciation of the subtleties of psychoanalytic thought.

This book presents Sandler's work, his critical examination of psychoanalytic ideas and their development, to the international psychoanalytic community. His background and attributes establish the foundation for