ABSTRACT
It is to the gifted Greek storyteller of ancient times, Aesop, that we owe the eternally impressive tale of greed. Among the numerous fables told by him is this story of the farmer who found a goose that laid a golden egg each day. The best-recognised aspect of greed—to the extent that it is considered the crux of the matter—is an excessive and unrelenting desire to acquire and possess goods. Its “excessive” nature is revealed by the fact that the quantity of goods desired far surpasses actual need as well as by its exaggerated quality when compared to the desires of others. On a gross level, the analyst’s greed becomes evident via an exorbitant fee, ostentatiously decorated office, overly packed clinical schedule, and refusal to consider retirement even on becoming old and infirm. The word “greed” appears only six times in the complete corpus of S. Freud’s work.
