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An adolescent girl with ordinary neurotic inhibitions quickly developed an intensely sexualized transference. The feeble repression of incestuous strivings was not symptomatic of a psychotic process. It was possible to recognize the sources leading to the failure of the superego's repressive function. The defective organization of the superego had its genesis in the special conditions surrounding the two parents. The father disappeared during the phallic period, but he frequently promised to visit the patient. His failure to carry out his promises reactivated the original disappointment over his disappearance and repeatedly evoked the false hope that he would return. This pattern kept alive the original sexualized oedipal relationship, which could be neither fulfilled nor resolved because of the physical separation. Furthermore she was burdened by the conscious knowledge that her birth had been intended to save the parents' marriage. Her failure to achieve this intensified her feelings of inadequacy and guilt.
The mother actually encouraged the girl to remain fixated on the oedipal level, while simultaneously seducing the girl and flaunting her own sexual superiority.