The Confessions is regarded as an exhaustive and insightful study of the self by one of the great minds of history. Biographical material displays the childhood of St. Augustine and describes the intense conflicts he had with his parents. His writing is described as having the spontaneous quality of free association and Kligerman thinks that it clearly indicates the important role of earliest infancy in personality development. St. Augustine is viewed as having been overstimulated as a child which resulted in a character type who sought constantly to master his overwhelming tension yet never found adequate discharge. His