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Kramer describes three main parts of the superego, namely, the ego ideal, the prohibiting superego, and the benign superego, and it is to the latter that he directs attention in this paper. The benign superego derives from the image of the loving and comforting parent, especially the mother. When a harmonious relation exists between it and the ego, there is a feeling of self-confidence and love; when a state of tension exists between the two there results a feeling of not being loved and a fear of abandonment out of which develops the feeling of guilt in the common sense of the word. A case is presented in which the developmental lack of the benign superego is so great that severe anxiety neurosis results, with gross inhibition of function caused primarily by the mother's not providing a loving relationship during the preoedipal stages. Other examples illustrate various results, including a feeling of complete ignorance in moral matters, impairment of reality testing, fear of being alone, and a general humorlessness. The author stresses the importance of the benevolent maternal element in the development of the superego, which has often been overlooked because of the conspicuousness of a sadistic component.