IN analysing a number of acute and chronic schizophrenic patients during the last ten years, I have become increasingly aware of the importance of the super-ego in schizophrenia. In this paper I shall

present details of the psycho-analysis of one acute catatonic patient in order to throw some light on the structure of the schizophrenic super-ego and its relation to schizophrenic ego-disturbances. I also wish to discuss the controversy about methods of approach to acute schizophrenic patients.