Little Hans and the "Enigmatic Messages" of His Parents.

The authors discuss the psychoanalytic treatment of Little Hans, drawing on the perspective offered by Laplanche's concept of "enigmatic messages," which they believe can contribute to a better understanding of this case history. They conclude that Little Hans's positive Oedipus complex conceals his negative Oedipus complex in which he represents his parents' oedipal problems in a distorted fashion. They demonstrate the way his parents project aspects of these problems into Hans's psyche, where his subsequent identifications with them lead to substitutive formations. They trace the course of Little Hans's horse phobia and examine his search for substitutive formations that have to align with his parents' defenses if they are to succeed in securing his safety and their affection.