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Leo, a 27-year-old scientist, requested an interview urgently, stating that he needed help deciding whether to get married or not. Already in the first few minutes of this interview the patient confessed that despite his intention to discuss nothing but his marriage problem, he also had to speak about his real trouble, i.e., his incessant fears of becoming actively homosexual or else psychotic. He was so deeply disturbed and his anxiety so near a real panic state that immediate treatment was proposed. The patient then insisted that treatment should be limited to a period of four months, as thereafter he had to go to the United States on a scholarship program, which he was not prepared to miss and which was indispensable for his scientific career.
At the beginning of the treatment it seemed unlikely that he would be able to leave at the stipulated time, and no definite promises were given in respect to the length of the treatment. However, the patient's serious wish to get ready to leave on time proved a great help in the treatment, since it provided him with a constant and urgent incentive to concentrate and overcome his resistance. The patient was seen three to four times a week, having altogether 60 analytic sessions. He left the country at the appointed time.
Leo was the only child of relatively old parents. He was born in Eastern Europe and immigrated to Israel, then still Palestine, at the age of six. Although he had left Europe after Hitler's rise to power, his family's escape was relatively easy and not traumatic for the boy. After passing his matriculation examinations at the end of high school, Leo did his regular army service and completed his university studies with a Ph.D. degree. At the age of 25, while already