ABSTRACT
Amit is a single man who told me, on his initial visit, that he came to see me because of his fears that “I am like my mother.” His mother left him when he was a few months old and went off with her lover, but over the years Amit had seen her occasionally. Amit lived with his father who married a widow with three children. His stepmother treated him very badly. She abused him emotionally and often physically. Amit spent most of his adolescent years with his friends’ families. He slept in their homes and was almost “adopted” by many of them. He yearned for affection. Amit was a hyperactive and attractive 28-year-old man. When I first met him, he had just decided to study physiotherapy. He had a girlfriend whom he loved. She adored him and the couple planned to get married. In taking his history I learned of his sensation-seeking behavior. He vividly described how he loved to keep the adrenalin going in his work as an ambulance driver.
