The author takes issue with two ideas regarding racial attitudes. The first is that prejudice is the product of poorly resolved Oedipal conflict and represents a phobic compromise between lingering Oedipal strivings and the defense against them. Robinson briefly presents case material which suggests that prejudicial attitudes are pregenital in origin and strongly reflect features of the oral and anal phases, particularly oral aggressive aspects. He then challenges the concept that a black therapist may have greater success with a white paranoid patient since the patient may more easily identify with the black therapist as a victim of oppression. The denial of the black psychiatrist's obvious professional status, accomplishment, and position—an attitude that sees him only as the victim of oppression—is based on primitive denial and is as great a fantasy distortion as