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"Freud himself found it necessary to postulate a kind of original sin," he said, referring to the father-slaying, mother-marrying impulses of the Oedipus complex. "Man does, in fact, belong to a guilty race, and that by inheritance."
"No psychiatrist would disagree," said Dr. Nelken. Dr. Bellamy added that guilt feelings can be useful and, in fact, necessary: "The goal of psychiatric treatment is not to make people nonguilty. If it did, you would make the patient sicker than he was."
When the evening's debate was over, everyone felt so happy about it that other similar forums were planned, the next probably in May. It seemed to be excellent public relations for the new clinic—the first outpatient psychiatric clinic established in a U.S. Roman Catholic hospital. Last week the clinic announced that as a result of the discussion, three psychiatrists offered to contribute their services free.