The Mourning Reaction of a Ten-And-A-Half-Year-Old Boy

John was ten and a half when his father suddenly died of a heart attack. In the week that preceded the fatal seizure, the father had complained only of mild symptoms; he died shortly after arrival at the hospital where he was taken during the night. At that time the mother too was in the hospital for a minor operation. The children were sleeping and were not aware of anything unusual happening.

In this paper I shall discuss John's reactions to this completely unexpected event, as observed during analytic sessions over a period of about eight months. In attempting an analytic understanding of the boy's rich material, I hope to contribute to a more precise knowledge of loss reactions in childhood.

The History

At the time of the event, John had been in analysis for eighteen months. Around the age of six, he had been treated by another analyst and had gradually stopped treatment as his main symptoms, enuresis and phobias, had disappeared. When he was eight and a half, enuresis had reappeared and the parents noticed the boy's difficulty in mixing with cousins and other children. An acute anxiety attack at a recreational center where the mother wanted to leave him