The underlying cause for an increasingly aggressive behavior on the part of a nine-year-old boy was an intense love relationship between mother and son which became acute after the death of the father. The mother who had a pathological attachment to her own mother which had blocked her early in her psychosexual development now directed her strivings toward her child and wanted to keep him a baby. Through his behavior the boy warded off temptation to yield to his Oedipus wishes. His conflict revolved around provoking a separation from his mother and fear of loss of love. Changes in the home set-up and frequent consultations held with mother and son were ineffective. Subsequently, however, placement in a boarding school, that is, separation from the mother over an extended period of time, afforded the boy the opportunity to work through his Oedipus conflict and also to lessen the mother's guilt feelings.