Neither patient whose history has been reported had a pimp, as far as I know. Yet I do not believe that their psychological problems would necessarily differ markedly from those of women who do have pimps. I am aware that some prostitutes are psychotic and that the dynamic patterns in these instances may be somewhat different than those which I have described. No doubt, too, there may be significant psychological, as well as social, differences between call girls and street walkers. Addiction has sometimes led to prostitution in that the latter has been used to support the former. It would seem possible, however, that both prostitution and addiction are used in struggling with the same problem in object relationships.

Prostitution may be viewed in terms of (i) the problems it mobilizes, (ii) the 'veneer' it offers, and (iii) the basic psychological function it serves.