Dr. Otto Kernberg, the internationally renowned psychoanalytic theorist and clinician, here examines the success and failure of sexual love in couples, from adolescence to old age. Dr. Kernberg considers both so-called normal and pathological relationships, including the role of narcissism, masochism, and aggression in each. The result is a book that expands the boundaries of our current understanding of love relations. "Kernberg's is arguably the richest psychoanalytic text on 'love' (in whatever way we may choose to define this most abused of words) since Freud's Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality". -- Andrea Sabbadini, British Journal on Psychotherapy "An extremely wide-ranging book, spanning from a biological perspective to the socio-cultural.... It is interesting to read both personally and professionally". -- Ricky Emanuel, British Journal of Psychiatry "A creative, stimulating, readable contribution, suitable for practicing psychotherapists". -- D. Sydiaha, University of Saskatchewan