Setting Up the System<br > of Self-Punishment<br >Some years ago a patient of mine， during her first analytic ses-<br >sion， recounted a fairy tale she had carried with her since child-<br >hood， one that seemed to have special significance for her. The<br >tale she told me was this.<br > Once upon a time there was a handsome prince whose ship<br >was wrecked at sea. Everyone aboard perished except the prince，<br >wl~ was rescued by a little mermaid and taken to safety on an<br >island. When a second ship appeared and carried the prince off to<br > -r<br >his l~?meland， the mermaid， who had fallen desperately in love<br >with him， vowed that she would follow and claim him. Seeking<br >advice on how to accomplish this， she traveled through treacher-<br >ous seas to the lair of the sea witch. "You will come to grief ff you<br >attempt this，~ the witch warned， but seeing that the merr~__~<br >would not be deterred， she agreed to grant her her wish. She gave<br >the mermaid a potion to drink that caused her tail to wither and<br >be replaced by legs. The mernuaid was now as beautiful as any<br >mortal on earth， but every step she took was agonizingly painful.<br >The mermaid was glad to bear this suffering， however， and sd<br >out for the land of her prince. Alas， as she arrived， the prince s<br >marriage to another was already in progress， and the little mer-<br >maid， witne~_ ing this， fell into a fatal swoon. Upon her death， the<br >other menmids lamented that she had not even gained an im-<br >mortal soul. She could only have possessed that had she won the<br >love of a human.<br > This story is a neady perfect parable of masochism， for it ex-<br ><br >