A Tragic Infliction

Edward Horner was born with a silver spoon in his mouth but the spoon is tarnished as he is psychologically abused by his father during his formative years. As a result of this abuse Edward loses his self esteem and self confidence. This has dire consequences in his later years as he loses the spoon completely due to his irrational determination to prove himself, and his inability to implement his creative ideas eventually leads to his financial downfall. His marriage to Cynthia fails as he avoids the responsibilities of marriage and fatherhood. His relationships and the various enterprises that he establishes all fail as a result of his lack of confidence in his abilities and his failure to be forceful about his opinions. Frustration at his helplessness and fear of failure become his constant companions. Coupled with this is his failure to provide for his old age due to his incessant unrealistic imaginings of success and wealth. Dream follows dream until suddenly there is no time for another dream. As his deteriorating financial status gains momentum, he becomes the victim of his own naive endeavours and the position of weakness that he constantly finds himself in adds to his frustration and despair. Belatedly he begins to see the error of his ways but is incapable of changing the debilitating self image and lack of confidence that he has established during his lifetime. The final blow comes when his health fails, leaving him helpless. One can only wonder what a creative person like Edward Horner might have achieved if he had had a father who understood the importance of love, encouragement and support; a father who helped him develop his self esteem and self confidence; a father who cared and loved him. All forms of child abuse are abhorrent and although physical and sexual child abuse habitually receive more attention, psychological child abuse is just as destructive and debilitating.