The psychoanalytic view of schizophrenia has focused mainly on conflicts stemming from the oral phase with consequent disturbances in ego development and the persistence of primary narcissism. Logically, attention had to be paid to disturbances in the child-mother relationship which have been viewed as crucial in the development of this condition.

Lidz and his co-workers have felt that this approach to understanding schizophrenia is too limited. They undertook studies of the families of schizophrenics because 'within the family the action of