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In this paper a considerable amount of evidence is gathered from zoological, anthropological, historical
and clinical sources to support the theory that the basic fear is that of being eaten. Castration fear, fear of loss of the breast or the mother are regarded as being defences against the anxiety about being devoured. Two dreams are reported to illustrate the tendency to ward off the basic fear by a preoccupation with castration fears. The danger of being eaten does not emanate exclusively from the mother. It can equally arise from the father but the majority of patients, male and female alike, fear destruction by the mother. The author quotes Szekely's conclusions that the infant reacts with fear to the visual gestalt of the 'two eyes and forehead' pattern (Int. J. Psycho-Anal., 35, 1954; see also 36, 1955, 162–166). As it is the mother who is the infant's first object, her face with the 'enemy schema' becomes imprinted upon the baby's memory and releases anxiety. This marks the mother as the primary biological enemy.