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We believe that the clinical material of this case can be understood and analyzed in a manner other than Freud's interpretation. We start from a different premise: The mother's image has a deeper importance than the father's for the little boy (and little girl) from two points of view—the love bond and fear. The mother is the giver of life and she can destroy it. The amorous aspect, however, is not essentially based on genital characteristics; rather, it is pregenital (or even pre-pregenital).
The genital aspects of this bond are secondary, and do not make up the nucleus of the attachment. A seductive and at the same time threatening mother often arouses intense anxiety. The son can escape this anxiety by increasing his positive attachment to his mother, even though the price he has to pay is the weakening of his masculinity; or he can establish a positive bond with the father, who will help him overcome the fear of his mother. We believe that the clinical data support the hypothesis that the phobia was principally based on the fear of the mother, and that the father took upon himself the role of instilling more courage and strength into the child.