Observation of a Phobia1

This observation was made of a child who came to the Hampstead Nursery at the age of 7 weeks. It was therefore possible to get a fairly coherent picture of the factors which contributed to her disturbance.

At the age of 2 years, 5 months, Sandy woke up screaming in the early evening shortly after falling asleep. She insisted that there was a dog in her bed and it took a long time to calm her down. From the next day on she showed an intense fear of her bed and a few days later she started being afraid of dogs in the street, getting into a panic whenever she could discern a dog even at a great distance. It was about one month before these difficulties were finally overcome.

Here are the main facts of Sandy's development up to the time of the occurrence of the phobia.

Family History. Sandy's father was killed in a road accident while serving in the army, before Sandy's birth. Her mother held a clerical job with the borough council. Finding this work dull, she first combined it with the activity of an air-raid warden and afterward gave it up altogether to become an ambulance driver. Still later she learned to ride a motorcycle and acted as a dispatch rider. She enjoyed these masculine activities and usually wore some uniform with trousers, but she was also a very devoted mother. She felt particular affection for Sandy, born after her husband's death. She came almost every night to put Sandy to bed and when she was too late from work for that, she at least came to kiss her goodnight and bring her a biscuit or a piece of chocolate.

There were two other children, a girl 7 years older than Sandy and a boy 2 years older. Both were evacuated. The girl died of meningitis when Sandy was 2 years old.

Physical and Intellectual Development. Sandy's physical and intellectual development were normal. She was a daintily built child with ginger hair, greenish-blue eyes and a delicate complexion. People's opinions differed greatly with regard to her looks and attractiveness.