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Neuroses, according to Freud, are based on an unconscious rejection of instinctual drives, especially of sexual urges. Accordingly, gross disturbances in the realm of sexuality should be expected in neurotics. Even though patients may at first not be aware of these disturbances and may state in the first interviews that their sex life is adequate and satisfactory, nevertheless later analytic experience makes them fully cognizant of them—and yet it is amazing how little statistical research has been done to correlate neuroses and sexual disturbances. The only attempt of this kind known to the reviewer was published by Wilhelm Reich in the first part of his book Die Funktion des Orgasmus.1
For this reason, psychoanalysts are grateful for a statistical study like that of Slater, who investigated the clinical records of twelve hundred thirty-three British neurotic soldiers and came to the conclusion 'that the factors which tend to bring about neurotic breakdown and those which predispose to sexual inadequacy are related'. However, though the analyst would also agree with Slater's hypothesis 'that the common factors are to be sought in an imbalance of the endocrine system', he would add that the socially determined way in which the instinctual demands of children are treated plays a still more important rôle.