On stealing clinical notes on three adolescent boys

In this paper I wish to explore the problem of stealing as a disturbance related to difficulties in coming to a recognition and acknowledgement of the need for an object with all this implies. To illustrate I should like to report sessions from three adolescent boys, beginning with John, a 19 year old boy whom I had been seeing once-weekly for psychotherapy. He was in his first year at College and came to treatment for, inter alia, examination difficulties. He was of high intelligence, and was not succeeding as he should.