The author questions the existence of unconscious guild and unconscious need for punishment. His thesis is that the self-destructive acts and sufferings of the moral masochist are not caused by an unconscious need for punishment, but rather by a flight from severe castration anxiety into masochistic acts. The analysis of the latent castration anxiety leads to the maturation of the superego. Clinical material from one case is used to support this thesis. Further material from the same case shows how the moral masochism of adolescence and adulthood grew out of the feminine masochism of latency. In addition, the author discusses another case of moral masochism which reviews the intricate relationship between psychic health and moral codes. The importance of the cultural atmosphere is emphasized, particularly what the moral masochist extracts from it.
作者对无意识的罪恶感和无意识的惩罚需求的存在提出质疑。他的论点是，道德受虐狂的自我毁灭行为和痛苦并非由无意识的惩罚需求所致，而是源于从严重的阉割焦虑逃入受虐行为。对潜在阉割焦虑的分析导致超我的成熟。运用一个案例的临床资料来支持这一论点。同一案例的更多资料显示了青春期和成年期的道德受虐狂是如何从潜伏期的女性受虐狂发展而来的。此外，作者讨论了另一个道德受虐狂案例，该案例审视了心理健康与道德准则之间的复杂关系。强调了文化氛围的重要性，尤其是道德受虐狂从中汲取的东西。
