The Psychoanalytic Treatment of Two Maternally Over-Protected Young Men

Two cases recently in psychoanalytic treatment illustrate the complex relations between oedipal structural and object-relational and narcissistic developmental issues. These cases raise questions regarding autonomy verses interdependency of libidinal and narcissistic developmental lines, and how interventions might be focused accordingly.

The first case is a 26-year-old young man, who was so misused by both parents for their own needs that he became phobic about almost everything. His problems began when he was 5 years old and faced with going off to school. He had always been his mother's constant companion. He was not allowed out to play with other children because she feared that they would be too rough or he might catch an illness from them. At bedtime, his parents would sit by his bed until he fell asleep because he was terror stricken to be alone. Early every morning, he would creep into his parents' bedroom and crawl between them, a pattern which continued until he was 12 years old. He remembers feeling very anxious on Sunday in anticipation of Monday morning and having to separate from mother and get on the school bus. He remarked, 'on Monday morning, I would be in a real fit. I'd fake stomach pains. I'd do anything to stay home and it usually was successful'.

The patient's analysis began by his looking for reassurance and comforting words from me. He requested extended sessions, and was annoyed that he had to share my attention with other patients. I chose to orient my responses to libidinal developmental issues, and inquired whether he had harboured similar anxieties about his mother's attentions.

He responded by recalling that, as a child, he jealously guarded his mother so that she wouldn't spend much time with friends, even on the telephone. He'd become angry if she stopped to chat with someone on the street while they were walking. He wanted to be with her constantly, and feared that if he