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Laurie was eight and a half years old when she began her analysis. She had been brought because of her parents' concern about her poor school achievement and her wish to be a boy. The mother, a former school teacher, age 42, had been concerned for many years that Laurie was retarded. When she started school, she didn't know colors and didn't know her address. To her mother's surprise, Laurie was put in an accelerated class. All testing indicated a range from bright normal to superior intelligence. But she always performed far below her grade level. Her mother was also concerned that Laurie hated dresses and liked playing rough.
She feared that Laurie would become a homosexual. The father, the 48-year-old owner of a small grocery store, was also concerned about homosexuality, but he was most worried that Laurie would grow up to be like his brother, after whom Laurie had been named. This brother had committed suicide about a year before Laurie was born.
The father grew up in a small Midwestern city. He was the youngest in a sibship of four, with one brother and two sisters. His own father died when he was two, and he himself began working when he was eight. His mother, an Orthodox Jewish woman, worked at home so that she could be with her children while they were growing up. It was a closely knit family. Laurie's father spoke glowingly of his sisters. His brother was a musician (the father was also a musician, although he did not pursue it vocationally anymore) who was always striving for success but was never satisfied. He was subject to periods of great depression and finally killed himself. Laurie's father described himself as level-headed, a person who thought things out, honest, much better to people than they were to him. He felt under great pressure in his business. He had wanted boys, but he didn't regret having girls. Laurie was