. (a) “The tension of anxiety, when present in the mothering one, induces anxiety in the infant.” One means by which anxiety is communicated is physical. (b) “If you have to maintain selfesteem by...

. (a) “The tension of anxiety, when present in the mothering one, induces anxiety in the infant.” One means by which anxiety is communicated is physical. (b) “If you have to maintain selfesteem by pulling down the standing of others, you are extraordinarily unfortunate. … The doctrine that if you are a molehill, then, by God, there shall be no mountains … is probably the most vicious of the [inappropriate] performances of parents with juveniles.” The patient accepted his mother’s views as accurate, which strengthened his resolve to move away from people. He failed to realize that her beliefs were due in large part to her own inability to relate well to others. (c) The child need not be afraid of its mother to become anxious; anxiety in the mothering one is suffi cient. Nevertheless, this is more diffi cult for Sullivan to explain. His theory focuses on the child’s relationship with a single “mothering one” (usually the mother), and has virtually nothing to say about the behavior of a second parent (i.e., the father). (d) What does Sullivan regard as the best way to reduce anxiety? Is a person who moves away from people likely to accomplish this?