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The psychoanalytic investigation of cases with essential hypertension was undertaken in the hope that a systematic study of the emotional life of these patients, continued over a long period, would throw some light upon the still open question concerning the etiological rôle of emotional factors in the development of hypertension. At the same time the aim of this study was to establish the possibility of psychotherapy in cases of essential hypertension. The clearly written case report gives a dynamic picture of the personality of a hypertensive patient, shows the correlations between the patient's blood pressure and his changing emotional states, and investigates the problem whether there are specific emotional tensions which have a specific influence upon the blood pressure. The observations were made during the analysis of a 47 year old male patient who was suffering from pronounced, though not excessive essential hypertension of the fluctuating variety. The most conspicuous feature of his personality was a double attitude of overt subjection to external code and to his conscience, with an extremely strong emotional rebellion against this submission. This internal rebellion showed itself in drinking and promiscuity. The unconscious dynamic background of the overt picture revealed an 'emotional paralysis'. Each of the two polar opposing tendencies blocked the expression of the other. This emotional paralysis was clearly expressed in the patient's characteristic 'hypertension dreams' in which he undertook to do something and found himself unable to do so. Viewing the life history of this patient from a bird's eye view it could be demonstrated how the gradual metamorphosis of an overaggressive successful domineering young man determined for leadership, into a shy, inhibited, conforming, overly modest and unexpressive person took place. The patient's father had tried to break the rebellious little Oedipus and succeeded only too well. In two hundred and one