The author examines the character pathology of Nicholas Urfe, a figure in Fowles's novel, The Magus, from the perspectives of Freud, Jung, and Kohut. Nicholas is unable to integrate his affectionate and sensual feelings for women, and so avoids tenderness with his sexual objects. The Freudian perspective is dismissed as inadequate to explain fully the material which Urfe portrays. Jung's emphasis upon the centrality of relationships in individual development is employed to understand further the complexity of Nicholas Urfe. Finally, the author turns to the work of Kohut to provide additional understanding of the material. The role of maternal figures in mirroring helps establish a child's self-worth; paternal figures provide a requisite model for the child to idealize.