The authors describe a case of a twenty-four-year-old man with ulcerative colitis. They suggest that his psychological problems can best be understood in terms of the disturbances of object relations as determined by the interlocking family relationships. It is not the mother who affects the child, but the 'family's mother, whose relationship with the child is a product of the dynamics operating within the family as a social system'. The case described demonstrates a conflict between frustrated dependency needs and the family ideals of independence, respectability, and avoidance of selfish desires. The resolution of this conflict necessitated a definite organization of family life which the authors describe as 'anxious cohesion', wherein the individuals in the family desperately maintain group cohesiveness at the cost of underlying anxiety. The authors conclude that the use of the field study of the family offers a useful tool for psychosomatic research.