The foundations of psychoanalysis transmitted to us by our teachers will become our own foundations only on the condition that we conquer them and make them our own. In this work, Juan David Nasio defines the seven fundamental concepts of psychoanalysis: castration, the phallus, narcissism, sublimation, identification, the superego, and foreclosure. He renders them accessible without sacrificing the demands of psychoanalytic rigor. Now a classic, this book serves as a valuable tool for clinical practice and an introduction to psychoanalysis for the non-analyst reader — including psychologists, physicians, judges, and educators. It is, furthermore, an original contribution to psychoanalytic thought.