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The text presented here is the result of impressive work, realized under the guidance of psychoanalyst and psychiatrist Alain de Mijolla, founder and president of the International Association for the History of Psycho-analysis.
Originally published in a French version in 2002, which has been very well received,1 the International Dictionary of Psychoanalysis is an excellent English translation.
The editorial committee in Paris—made up of Sophie de Mijolla-Mellor, Roger Perron, and Bernard Golse—has found a comparable counterpart in the American team that was responsible for the care and translation into English of this essential reference book: Rachel J. Kain, Rita Runchock, and Patricia Kamoun-Bergwerk, with the editorial support of Edward Nersessian and Paul Roazen (who reviewed all the entries). The work of translating the three volumes was conducted by, among others, Nellie Thompson and Matthew von Unwerth. It is important to stress that this was not simply a work of translation, but something much more complex, given the different geographical, cultural, and scientific backgrounds of the many authors who contributed. This involved, for example, the need to delve into the specific points of view of the authors and editors of every single dictionary entry, including a consideration of each author's professional affiliation and the specific subject assigned to him or her in the context of the Dictionary—a point recalled by Nersessian in his introduction to the English translation.
In perusing the items in the Dictionary—which, despite its refinement, should be considered a reference work that has drawn on well-known past theoretical and scientific dictionaries and biographies, as well as others less known but of considerable interest2—it is possible to appreciate the tremendous impact that psychoanalysis has had in the world. This is true not only in terms of its basis in scientific thinking and its application as a discipline, but also in regard to its status as