ABSTRACT
Psychoanalytic formulations about psychological development in childhood evolved within the paradigm of a stable intact family. The continued presence of both parents during the child's early years was given, except for the involuntary disruptions of death or Severe illness. The impact of neurotic or psychotic illness of a parent on the child was a widely acknowledged concern; but marital breakdown was rare, and its developmental and clinical implications for the child were of little moment within the community or the mental health professions.
