Lost in the Freudian Forest

Lost in the Freudian Forest: A Tragedy of Good Intentions describes the concept of permissive child-rearing practices and the role of every family member. This book is composed of 10 chapters that highlight the tragic breakdown of a woman, Marigold Golem, trapped by her own obsession with a theory and the expectations derived from it that did not match reality. Marigold, is a psychiatrist who, it appeared, was able to combine the role of wife, mother and professional with great success. The family of Marigold and her husband, Trevor Golem, consisted of a boy and girl, fraternal twins born two years after their marriage. Before her marriage, Marigold developed a theory of child rearing derived from Freud and became firmly committed to the view that the rigorous application of this theory would produce enlightened men and women with superior insight who would be everything that her own generation was not. The story presented in this book is an account of the authors’ interviews with Marigold’s twins, Susan and Fred, extracts from Marigold's diary, and some relevant documents that have come into the authors’ possession. This book will be of value to psychiatrists and researchers.