A case is presented of a girl who developed anxiety neurosis and masochistic depressive character neurosis, following her marriage at the age of 17. Just prior to the menarche this patient suffered the traumatic loss of her mother in an accident. The analytic process brought into relief the patient's need to mourn which she had unconsciously denied. The material is used to throw light on the normal maturational progress during adolescence as one of detachment from infantile libidinal positions involving the process of mourning. The mechanism of denial of both inner and outer reality may readily be called upon during this period with resultant damaging effects upon the maturational development of the ego. An outstanding feature of this patient was the blurred and vague nature of her emotional reactions, resulting from superego