You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
This paper emphasizes the relationship between oral sadism and spider symbolism. It also points out that the phallic representation of the spider's dropline may be symbolic of the umbilical cord, itself a possible vehicle for oral sadism. This conclusion is supported by a decrease in a patient's spider phobias after he was made aware of his frightening oral fantasies and had worked through these fears in his relationship with the therapist.