While the discussion of sexual abuse of children within the family—specifically, girls by their fathers—has received significant attention in both professional and public spheres over the past three decades, the issue of abuse in the mother-son relationship has remained largely overlooked. The author analyzes, using extensive clinical material, the subtle forms of emotional and incestuous abuse of boys by their mothers. Case studies from adult and child therapy are introduced with examples from history, literature, and current events, theoretically generalized, and placed in a historical and societal context. The second edition has been supplemented with a foreword by Hans Hopf.