ABSTRACT
This chapter shows that how a parent’s feelings and behaviour can influence the emotional development of the child, but it is described because of its most unusual features. Peter was a twelve-year-old boy who was presenting odd behaviour both at home and in the community. It was the school that decided the boy required a psychological assessment. The educational psychologist diagnosed psychotic behaviour and the boy was referred to the child guidance clinic. The author was finding it quite difficult to make sense of Peter’s “hallucinations”, since his description of these appeared to be so discordant with the general picture of his personality. Mrs P wanted to tell to author that her son’s problems had started some months after his circumcision. Following the surgical procedure, in line with the surgeon’s recommendations, twice a day she would wash and clean the boy’s prepuce.
