Abstract
Disorders originating in the first two to three years of life stem from deficiencies in the infant's contact with the primary provider, usually the mother. Clients who carry these early deficits cannot have rewarding, close relationships. They believe they are unwanted and fundamentally unlovable. Early in their lives, many of them made certain specific internal structural adjustments to best survive in their deficient environments. These adjustments and their consequences are identified and explained, and transactional analysis treatment to obtain the necessary restructuring is outlined.