Feet of clay is an expression now commonly used to refer to a weakness or character flaw, especially in people of prominence.
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Origin and meaning
The phrase derives from the interpretation of the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, by the prophet Daniel as recounted in the Book of Daniel:
The implication is that however impressive or strong the materials are that are used in the body of the statue, if its feet are made of clay, then the whole thing will topple over and fall to the ground.
In psychotherapy
In psychology, especially psychotherapy, the expression "feet of clay" does not refer to a character defect, but the disappointment the patient may express to the therapist in once admiring a parent. In the eventual realization that a father, for instance, is a mere mortal - only a man, after all - the patient may express what the therapist perceives as a trauma. This disappointment is a normal experience, but can be misinterpreted or processed poorly by the patient as most painful and lasting. The therapist can then guide the patient to a better insight with which to cope with disappointments in general, most of which have little significance; if the patient has difficulty in processing disappointments in general, it may attract the attention of the most intuitive therapist. The patient's inability to cope with life's disappointments may be the very anxiety which brings the patient to the therapist to begin with, and may begin a process of working through many anxieties and improving the patient's general ability to cope.