From what I've been able to figure out, the Buddha's job was not to save the earth but the human mind.
After all, meditation is less costly than a pill, and cannot be patented. For Buddhism does not work well if treated like a religion.
Though it relieves neuroses when meditation is regularly practiced with sincerity.
Neuroses are what the doctors have omitted when they updated their mental health "bible" to the Fourth version. This is because a neurosis is actually based on protective defense mechanisms.
Meditation helps the meditator to examine these defense mechanisms in detail.
Originally posted April 22, 2013 at 2:37 AM
Showing posts with label defense mechanism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label defense mechanism. Show all posts
20130103
How the Schizoid Becomes Schizophrenic
My understanding of schizoid is that it simply refers to a person who chose his world over the world at large.
IMO it's a defense mechanism that arises over time to protect the schizoid person from his own fear of the world.
For the schizoid world honors greatly the individual over society.
Medication would prevent such a person from adapting to social pressure and its influence on conforming to social norms.
As well, I feel that rather than an illness, any schizophrenia arising from maladaptation to stress to conform may consist of dysfunctional use of defense mechanisms.
Medication does nothing to help a person to become socialized. This is why it should be accompanied by psychotherapy and patience by the therapist.
I even consider the delusions arising within the comorbid psychosis that often accompanies schizophrenia to be maladaptation to stress arising from the many fears that the schizophrenic has.
While most of these fears are unfounded, schizophrenics prefer their delusions over reality since it is easier to accept them than to accept the fact that the world is not as safe as a caring family or its State-mandated equivalent.
For the schizophrenic has learned that the world is not a caring and friendly place.
<hr>
Schizotypy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizotypy
Schizoid. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizoid
Schizophrenia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizophrenia
Comorbidity: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comorbidity
Defense mechanism: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_mechanism
Socialization: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialization
Stress: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stress_%28psychological%29
IMO it's a defense mechanism that arises over time to protect the schizoid person from his own fear of the world.
For the schizoid world honors greatly the individual over society.
Medication would prevent such a person from adapting to social pressure and its influence on conforming to social norms.
As well, I feel that rather than an illness, any schizophrenia arising from maladaptation to stress to conform may consist of dysfunctional use of defense mechanisms.
Medication does nothing to help a person to become socialized. This is why it should be accompanied by psychotherapy and patience by the therapist.
I even consider the delusions arising within the comorbid psychosis that often accompanies schizophrenia to be maladaptation to stress arising from the many fears that the schizophrenic has.
While most of these fears are unfounded, schizophrenics prefer their delusions over reality since it is easier to accept them than to accept the fact that the world is not as safe as a caring family or its State-mandated equivalent.
For the schizophrenic has learned that the world is not a caring and friendly place.
<hr>
Schizotypy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizotypy
Schizoid. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizoid
Schizophrenia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizophrenia
Comorbidity: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comorbidity
Defense mechanism: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defense_mechanism
Socialization: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialization
Stress: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stress_%28psychological%29
20101007
Possible Solutions to Cognitive Distortions
Usually when a person is negative about what another person has said or written, it says more about his unconscious negativity in his life.
In some rare cases, it may be indication of any number of cognitive distortions.
If so, here's what I managed to come up with as possible solutions to key cognitive distortions.
1) Things do not fit black and white categories. This is the fallacy of all or nothing thinking. Things might be both grey and colourful. The proof of this is the metaphor of a digital photograph, which is saturated with colours and tinged with shades of grey. Likewise, being human, I am not perfect and live within the limits of my imperfection. The solution here is found in pausing to reflect on the greyness of living in post-modern times.
2) A single negative event does not fit into any sort of pattern of defeat. This is a fallacy of over-generalization. For each event has both positive and negative qualities. Therefore, I need to focus on accepting the event as happening as it is.
3) The fallacy of the mental filter is that it distorts reality into being just the focus of one negative detail which is dwelt on until all of reality is darkened. What positive details I may have noticed are forgotten, but not for long. I may think of the positive details as they come into focus. Thus, reality is not dark nor is it just that one negative detail.
The truth is, reality is composed of neutral events and things to which each of us ascribes positive or negative qualities based on criteria according to a multitude of factors including our experiences, education, vocation, and so on.
4) Positive experiences are more important to my well-being than negative experiences. The fallacy of disqualifying the positive is that it rejects those positive experiences based on the flimsy criteria that "it does not count" or some other baseless claim. Everyday experience consistently demonstrates that positive experiences occur more often than negative ones, because that is the way the human mind works. It is how the universe works.
5) The fallacy of jumping to conclusions consists of the negative interpretation of events despite there being no definite facts which convincingly support the conclusion. One variety of jumping to conclusions is mind reading, where I may conclude that someone is reacting negatively to you, and you don't bother to check this out. The solution to this is to either check it out or to pro-actively drop all thought of the matter using meditation. The other variety of this fallacy is the fortune teller error, where I may anticipate that things will turn out badly, and feel that my prediction is an already-established fact. The solution to the fortune teller error is to not anticipate any kind of outcome at all, but to go with the flow i.e. life will bring to me great rewards when I go out into the world.
6) The fallacy of magnification (catastrophizing i.e. making a catastrophe of a thing) or minimization is the exaggeration of the importance of things (my mistakes or someone else's achievements) or "the binocular trick", the inappropriate shrinking of things (events, details) until they appear tiny (my own desirable qualities or the other person's imperfections). The solution to exaggeration of importance requires a lot more work i.e. everything is of equal importance, neither greater or lesser. My own desirable qualities is as important as the next person's. Other people's imperfections are usually of no consequence. Indeed, the fallacy of magnification requires meditation consisting of careful reflection on the matter in order to cut through the delusion of magnification, catastrophizing and minimization.
7) The fallacy of emotional reasoning is that I may assume my negative emotions necessarily reflect the way things are i.e. "I feel it, therefore it must be true." The solution here is to see that the way things are are equally devoid of my emotions, positive or negative. If I feel that the way things are as "bad", then that is not true. If I feel that the way things are "good", then that is not true either. My feelings do not make the way things are true or false. The fallacy of emotional reasoning is the fallacy of the false dilemma.
8) The fallacy of should statements consists of the use of "should" and "shouldn't", as if one had to be whipped and punished before being expected to do anything. "Must" and "ought" are also offenders. The emotional consequence is guilt. When I direct should statements towards others, I feel anger, frustration, and resentment. The solution to this fallacy is to mindfully let go of guilt, and have no expectations of self and others.
9) The fallacy of labelling and mislabelling is the extreme form of over-generalization. Rather than describing my error, I attach a negative label to myself. Rather than admitting I didn't visit my mother , I call myself a "bad son". When someone else's behaviour rubs me the wrong way, I attach a negative label to him: "He's weird". Mislabelling involves describing an event with language that is highly coloured and emotionally loaded. These labels may have context in the real world, but only within the dysfunctional context.
Such over-generalizations are inappropriate judgement calls which are not helpful in any situation since they tend to create more stress and suffering for each of us.
Thus the solution to labelling and mislabelling is to let go of any tendency to label and mislabel behaviour and people. In order to do so, I will cultivate, maintain and perpetuate a nonjudgmental attitude towards life.
In some rare cases, it may be indication of any number of cognitive distortions.
If so, here's what I managed to come up with as possible solutions to key cognitive distortions.
1) Things do not fit black and white categories. This is the fallacy of all or nothing thinking. Things might be both grey and colourful. The proof of this is the metaphor of a digital photograph, which is saturated with colours and tinged with shades of grey. Likewise, being human, I am not perfect and live within the limits of my imperfection. The solution here is found in pausing to reflect on the greyness of living in post-modern times.
2) A single negative event does not fit into any sort of pattern of defeat. This is a fallacy of over-generalization. For each event has both positive and negative qualities. Therefore, I need to focus on accepting the event as happening as it is.
3) The fallacy of the mental filter is that it distorts reality into being just the focus of one negative detail which is dwelt on until all of reality is darkened. What positive details I may have noticed are forgotten, but not for long. I may think of the positive details as they come into focus. Thus, reality is not dark nor is it just that one negative detail.
The truth is, reality is composed of neutral events and things to which each of us ascribes positive or negative qualities based on criteria according to a multitude of factors including our experiences, education, vocation, and so on.
4) Positive experiences are more important to my well-being than negative experiences. The fallacy of disqualifying the positive is that it rejects those positive experiences based on the flimsy criteria that "it does not count" or some other baseless claim. Everyday experience consistently demonstrates that positive experiences occur more often than negative ones, because that is the way the human mind works. It is how the universe works.
5) The fallacy of jumping to conclusions consists of the negative interpretation of events despite there being no definite facts which convincingly support the conclusion. One variety of jumping to conclusions is mind reading, where I may conclude that someone is reacting negatively to you, and you don't bother to check this out. The solution to this is to either check it out or to pro-actively drop all thought of the matter using meditation. The other variety of this fallacy is the fortune teller error, where I may anticipate that things will turn out badly, and feel that my prediction is an already-established fact. The solution to the fortune teller error is to not anticipate any kind of outcome at all, but to go with the flow i.e. life will bring to me great rewards when I go out into the world.
6) The fallacy of magnification (catastrophizing i.e. making a catastrophe of a thing) or minimization is the exaggeration of the importance of things (my mistakes or someone else's achievements) or "the binocular trick", the inappropriate shrinking of things (events, details) until they appear tiny (my own desirable qualities or the other person's imperfections). The solution to exaggeration of importance requires a lot more work i.e. everything is of equal importance, neither greater or lesser. My own desirable qualities is as important as the next person's. Other people's imperfections are usually of no consequence. Indeed, the fallacy of magnification requires meditation consisting of careful reflection on the matter in order to cut through the delusion of magnification, catastrophizing and minimization.
7) The fallacy of emotional reasoning is that I may assume my negative emotions necessarily reflect the way things are i.e. "I feel it, therefore it must be true." The solution here is to see that the way things are are equally devoid of my emotions, positive or negative. If I feel that the way things are as "bad", then that is not true. If I feel that the way things are "good", then that is not true either. My feelings do not make the way things are true or false. The fallacy of emotional reasoning is the fallacy of the false dilemma.
8) The fallacy of should statements consists of the use of "should" and "shouldn't", as if one had to be whipped and punished before being expected to do anything. "Must" and "ought" are also offenders. The emotional consequence is guilt. When I direct should statements towards others, I feel anger, frustration, and resentment. The solution to this fallacy is to mindfully let go of guilt, and have no expectations of self and others.
9) The fallacy of labelling and mislabelling is the extreme form of over-generalization. Rather than describing my error, I attach a negative label to myself. Rather than admitting I didn't visit my mother , I call myself a "bad son". When someone else's behaviour rubs me the wrong way, I attach a negative label to him: "He's weird". Mislabelling involves describing an event with language that is highly coloured and emotionally loaded. These labels may have context in the real world, but only within the dysfunctional context.
Such over-generalizations are inappropriate judgement calls which are not helpful in any situation since they tend to create more stress and suffering for each of us.
Thus the solution to labelling and mislabelling is to let go of any tendency to label and mislabel behaviour and people. In order to do so, I will cultivate, maintain and perpetuate a nonjudgmental attitude towards life.
20100802
Disinformation: Conspiracy Theory and the Media
Originally used to describe "any claim of civil, criminal or political conspiracy", today the term conspiracy theory is used to belittle any hypotheses, conjectures or speculations about a historical or current event which involve "a secret plot by conspirators of superhuman power and cunning."
IMHO, because there is little support of conclusive evidence for conspiracy theory, a well-informed skeptic would rely on thorough reports involving institutional analysis than on the speculations provided by conspiracy theories.
However, to prevent dispute by using the term to dismiss false belief, it is wise not to address any conspiracy theory in public. My reasoning for this is that such labeling leads to needless argument and confrontation.
With many conspiracy theories abounding in mass media, most likely conspiracism may have distorted the cultural lens of American society to the point where democracy has been replaced by conspiracy. Indeed, belief in conspiracy theories appears to have filled the spiritual void in the lives of people who believe in such theories.
Due to the speculative nature of conspiracy theories, it serves no purpose to discuss them.
Thus it serves me better to observe and study the psychological conditions of denial, paranoia, schizophrenia and mean world syndrome which provide fertile ground for such speculation.
References:
• Conspiracy theory: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspiracy_theory
• Example of conspiracy theory in water fluoridation controversy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_fluoridation_controversy#Conspiracy_theories
• Examples in Media of Conspiracy Theory
∘ In Like Flint: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2SFgIBoRFw
∘ Doctor Strangelove: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97Rnn8MGat8
∘ Conspiracy Theory: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspiracy_Theory_%28film%29
20100601
The Greyness of Living: Thoughts on Psychological Development With Respect to Borderline Personality Disorder
Psychological development has an emotional context to it. For emotional maturity implies psychological maturity, yet highly developed psychological maturity requires a developed sense of humor to reflect one's emotional maturity appropriately.
In theory, children evolve morally from the black-and-white thinking of what psychiatrist Melanie Klein calls "paranoid-schizoid" to the grey world of the depressive phase. However, "paranoid-schizoid" denotes a psychologically immature phase of psychological development in early childhood.
In contrast, "depressive" suggests a mature phase of psychological development.
Splitting - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splitting_(psychology)
"In a moral sense grey is ... used positively to balance an all-black or all-white view (for example, shades of grey represent magnitudes of good and bad)." &emdash; Grey in popular culture - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey#In_popular_culture
Commentary: The use of medication to treat clinical depression suggests that within context of society, clinical depression is not conducive with productivity in society. Medication thus is used to help stabilize what society views as a medical condition that prevents a person from exercising his responsibilities and obligations to society.
Within context of the ethical definition of grey, as covered by this note, splitting does not imply one is out of control. This is because it is primarily a defence mechanism, and has its uses as a behavioural tool, despite its crudity.
Splitting's crudity is that people are seen as either all good or all bad. Within context of psychological development, then, the word "crudity" suggests that psychological immaturity to be crude in function.
Furthermore, it is suggested that seeing the self either as all good or all bad, depending on how one views others, is a crude way of viewing the world.
What I need to do to manage borderline personality disorder (BPD) is to "integrate the good and bad images of both self and others". This is the affirmation to manage BPD.
In order to integrate the good and bad images of both self and others, it's useful to pair statements rationalizing good and bad.
In order to achieve that aim, I will quote the third stage of psychological development and comment on it: "The self and the other possess both good and bad qualities." - This statement is a synthesis of the following opposing statements: "The self possesses both good and bad qualities", and "the other possesses both good and bad qualities."
"Having hateful thoughts about another person doesn't mean that the self is all hateful and doesn't mean that the other person is all hateful either."
"Having loving thoughts about another person doesn't mean that the self is all loving and doesn't mean that the other person is all loving either."
However, me thinking all loving thoughts neither makes me a good person or a bad person. Rather, it makes me a person who is being positive.
Within the context of this article, the act of being positive has both good and bad qualities to it. I am not being positive to be good; I am being positive because it affirms self management of BPD.
This brings me to the use of grey as the positive response to black-and-white thinking (splitting).
As an affirmation to help manage BPD symptoms, i.e. lessen stress, the following statement is useful: "Shades of grey represent magnitudes of good and bad."
Even though writing out my thoughts about BPD and its management may be seen as rationalization, it helps me to see BPD as an part of my character which only arises when under stress.
To best appreciate what I have written in this article, one would have to look at the spectrum of defence mechanisms.
Splitting is a pathological defence mechanism, which means it is on the first level of defence mechanisms.
Defence mechanisms are categorized into four levels:
While I may use defence mechanisms of the first three levels, it remains in my best interest to use altruism, anticipation, humour, identification, sublimation and thought suppression to help manage stress.
In theory, children evolve morally from the black-and-white thinking of what psychiatrist Melanie Klein calls "paranoid-schizoid" to the grey world of the depressive phase. However, "paranoid-schizoid" denotes a psychologically immature phase of psychological development in early childhood.
In contrast, "depressive" suggests a mature phase of psychological development.
- When young, self and the object, good and bad, were experienced as the same. No concept of "I and thou" existed, only "me, my and mine".
- Good and bad are not the same. Good is acceptable, while bad is unacceptable. Depending on their actions, the other as a person is seen as either all good or all bad. Thinking about another person as bad implies that the self is bad as well. Therefore, it's best to consider the caregiver to be a good person, so that the self is also seen as good.
- The self and the other possess both good and bad qualities. Having hateful thoughts about another person doesn't mean that the self is all hateful and doesn't mean that the other person is all hateful either.
Splitting - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splitting_(psychology)
"In a moral sense grey is ... used positively to balance an all-black or all-white view (for example, shades of grey represent magnitudes of good and bad)." &emdash; Grey in popular culture - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey#In_popular_culture
Commentary: The use of medication to treat clinical depression suggests that within context of society, clinical depression is not conducive with productivity in society. Medication thus is used to help stabilize what society views as a medical condition that prevents a person from exercising his responsibilities and obligations to society.
Within context of the ethical definition of grey, as covered by this note, splitting does not imply one is out of control. This is because it is primarily a defence mechanism, and has its uses as a behavioural tool, despite its crudity.
Splitting's crudity is that people are seen as either all good or all bad. Within context of psychological development, then, the word "crudity" suggests that psychological immaturity to be crude in function.
Furthermore, it is suggested that seeing the self either as all good or all bad, depending on how one views others, is a crude way of viewing the world.
What I need to do to manage borderline personality disorder (BPD) is to "integrate the good and bad images of both self and others". This is the affirmation to manage BPD.
In order to integrate the good and bad images of both self and others, it's useful to pair statements rationalizing good and bad.
In order to achieve that aim, I will quote the third stage of psychological development and comment on it: "The self and the other possess both good and bad qualities." - This statement is a synthesis of the following opposing statements: "The self possesses both good and bad qualities", and "the other possesses both good and bad qualities."
"Having hateful thoughts about another person doesn't mean that the self is all hateful and doesn't mean that the other person is all hateful either."
"Having loving thoughts about another person doesn't mean that the self is all loving and doesn't mean that the other person is all loving either."
However, me thinking all loving thoughts neither makes me a good person or a bad person. Rather, it makes me a person who is being positive.
Within the context of this article, the act of being positive has both good and bad qualities to it. I am not being positive to be good; I am being positive because it affirms self management of BPD.
This brings me to the use of grey as the positive response to black-and-white thinking (splitting).
As an affirmation to help manage BPD symptoms, i.e. lessen stress, the following statement is useful: "Shades of grey represent magnitudes of good and bad."
Even though writing out my thoughts about BPD and its management may be seen as rationalization, it helps me to see BPD as an part of my character which only arises when under stress.
To best appreciate what I have written in this article, one would have to look at the spectrum of defence mechanisms.
Splitting is a pathological defence mechanism, which means it is on the first level of defence mechanisms.
Defence mechanisms are categorized into four levels:
- Level 1 - Pathological
- Delusional projection
- Denial
- Distortion
- Splitting
- Level 2 - Immature
- Acting out
- Fantasy
- Idealization
- Passive aggression
- Projection
- Projective identification
- Somatization
- Level 3 - Neurotic
- Displacement
- Dissociation
- Exaggeration
- Hypochondriasis
- Isolation
- Intellectualization
- Rationalization
- Reaction formation
- Regression
- Repression
- Undoing
- Level 4 - Mature
- Altruism
- Anticipation
- Humour
- Identification
- Introjection
- Sublimation
- Thought suppression
While I may use defence mechanisms of the first three levels, it remains in my best interest to use altruism, anticipation, humour, identification, sublimation and thought suppression to help manage stress.
20100528
Rationalizing Society's Aversion to Religion
IMHO the real reason mundane people find religion and people devoted to their faiths to be suspect is straight-forward:
Mundane people, being of the mainstream, are consumers first. Being dedicated to consumption and production in a free capitalist culture, they work as occupation, depending on their personality and skill-set.
However, public education has inculcated them with a shallow respect for religion. This facade of respect for religion has left them subconsciously fearful of spirituality out of manufactured ignorance. Indeed, public education provides their intellect with academic learning.
However, it does not nurture their spirit with a deeper respect for religion due to universal human rights to worship as each individual choses (or not).
Being spiritually shallow, mundane people tend to develop neuroses rooted in a sense of emptiness, which may lead to depression in late childhood.
Because they did not gain nurturing of their sense of spirituality - and a deeper respect of it - during their youth, most people will develop neuroses arising from unresolved childhood issues regarding the paranoid-schizoid and depressive positions of child development of their psyches.
Consequently, their vague feeling of emptiness is actually due to lack of spiritual nurturance, which the public education system no longer inculcates in children.
This is why adolescence is more of a hell than two generations ago. It is specifically because of their ignorance that they are spiritual beings incarnated as human beings which causes behavioral and mental negativities (neuroses, psychoses and the related phobias and personality disorders).
Why then does a person who is religious still suffer from neuroses and psychoses? Because they have yet to realize that suffering is where one does one's spiritual work, and applies one's defense mechanisms appropriately as mind tools so as to use the mud of human suffering to fertilize their heart-mind.
Thus, it is the responsibility of each individual to realize that their reason for living (raison d'etre) is to realized that each living being is first a spiritual being incarnated as animal, plant or human; and that each of us are obliged to be of service to others, and as a result of this service, to help others to see this basic truth of life.
Animals realize this through instinct, so they do not require instruction and inculcations like humans do, due to the latter's higher brain development. Yet, humans have inherited an animal nature, which is symbolized by the libido.
Knowing this, the spiritually awakened person realizes that this knowledge will set her free, provided that she balances her libido with rational thought.
Reason is used as a mind tool to control libido's psychic manifestation as "the ego" i.e. the delusion that the self is permanent and reincarnates, which is known as the product of reification of self - the soul.
In conclusion, mundane people, being the majority, are averse to religion but not to spirituality, yet consider their spiritual beliefs to be private and practice in their own way, be it through worship of science, consumerism or even, a particular faith (ranging from animism to Zoroasterism).
20100526
Normalizing Depression and Paranoid-Schizoid Behavior: Notes on Melanie Klein's Theory of Childhood Development
This note is about a "psychobabble" term which is used in everyday language on the street i.e. mainstream use. This term is "paranoid-schizoid".
"Psychobabble" is slang used to describe jargon used by the medical profession to describe behavior and mental conditions, according to a committee-approved manual called DSM-IV.
Within context of this note, first mainstream use of "paranoid-schizoid" will be briefly discussed. It will then be followed by introduction of the term in M. Klein's theory of child development.
Paranoid-Schizoid in Everyday Language
"Paranoid-schizoid" is rarely used in everyday language in its positive sense. Instead it is used to label other people for their eccentricities.
Usually, the term is used when people run out of emotionally charged words such as "crazy" and "weird" to separate people into "good" and "bad" categories, according to social norms.
While most people may be able to define "paranoid" accurately, as paranoia and suspicion out of proportion to a given situation, the term "schizoid" is equated to "crazy" and/or "weird", and falsely associated with schizophrenia.
It is not the purpose of this note to define schizophrenia. However, the term "paranoid-schizoid" is used as a description of a particular form of schizophrenia. Within context of this form of schizophrenia, paranoia and a tendency to be alone appear to be two common traits.
Overall, the term "paranoid-schizoid" is used to describe abnormal behavior with the context of mental health.
Paranoid-Schizoid in Child Development
M Klein uses two terms in her description of early childhood development, "paranoid-schizoid" and "depressive" within context of the term "position", which is defined as "a set of psychic functions that correspond to a given phase of development, always appearing during the first year of life, but which are present at all times thereafter and can be reactivated at any time."
Within context of Klein's description, the word "development" is a generalized term consisting of infantile psychic life i.e. development of the mind of a child during the first year of life.
During the first year of life, a child first begins and completes the paranoid-schizoid position of development. If her environment and up-bringing meet her requirements, then she passes through the depressive position.
Within context of the state of mind of children, the paranoid-schizoid position develops from birth to 4-6 months of age. Between 4-6 months of age, the child develops the depressive position. However, it is normal to move between the two positions though most children's minds will operate in the paranoid-schizoid position.
Klein developed the Object Relations Theory to hypothesize how children view objects in relationship to themselves, mainly as part objects in early childhood.
Within context of childhood development, paranoid refers to the central paranoid anxiety which is defined as "the fear of invasive malevolence". Schizoid refers to the central defense mechanism, splitting, "the vigilant separation of the good object from the bad object."
In healthy childhood development, the child splits its external world, its objects and itself into two categories: good and bad". By doing so, he incorporates attitudes or ideas learned about these two categories into his personality unconsciously, and identifies with the good.
Good consists of love, loving and gratification; bad consists of hate, persecution and frustration.
In this way, splitting is used by the child to protect the good from being destroyed by the bad.
With growing maturity, the child will experience her mother as pleasant and beneficial.
Through maturation, the paranoid-schizoid position is replaced by the depressive position in the child's mind as he becomes more able to tolerate frustration and hold onto the good object for increasing periods.
Thus enabled to accept his bad impulses without fear that these impulses will destroy it, a more reasonable view of the self and object as possessing both good and bad attributes, leads to the greater integration and maturity of the depressive position.
"Depressive and paranoid-schizoid modes of experience continue to intermingle throughout the first few years of childhood."
Commentary on the Term Paranoid-Schizoid Within The Medical Context
With respect to children, these two positions of child development are not psychiatric conditions. Both "paranoid-schizoid" and "depressive" refer to states of mind in normal childhood development. Thus, they are not medical conditions in need of fixing.
Even when paranoid-schizoid and depressive positions may be used by the child in later years in reaction to stress both within the family (i.e. sibling rivalry, misbehavior, etc) and outside the family, they are mind tools being used by the child to defend her psyche.
Rather than using medication to treat fears and anxieties, it would be more beneficial for parents to model adaptive coping strategies for the child to give her more ways of dealing with anxiety and fear.
References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranoid-schizoid_position http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Object_relations_theory#Paranoid-schizoid_position http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Object_relations_theory#Depressive_position http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Object_Relations_Theory Analysis of Kelly Jacobson's The Origin of Mouthstones: http://excavatingalfred.blogspot.com/2009/12/object-relations-every-person-has.html
"Psychobabble" is slang used to describe jargon used by the medical profession to describe behavior and mental conditions, according to a committee-approved manual called DSM-IV.
Within context of this note, first mainstream use of "paranoid-schizoid" will be briefly discussed. It will then be followed by introduction of the term in M. Klein's theory of child development.
Paranoid-Schizoid in Everyday Language
"Paranoid-schizoid" is rarely used in everyday language in its positive sense. Instead it is used to label other people for their eccentricities.
Usually, the term is used when people run out of emotionally charged words such as "crazy" and "weird" to separate people into "good" and "bad" categories, according to social norms.
While most people may be able to define "paranoid" accurately, as paranoia and suspicion out of proportion to a given situation, the term "schizoid" is equated to "crazy" and/or "weird", and falsely associated with schizophrenia.
It is not the purpose of this note to define schizophrenia. However, the term "paranoid-schizoid" is used as a description of a particular form of schizophrenia. Within context of this form of schizophrenia, paranoia and a tendency to be alone appear to be two common traits.
Overall, the term "paranoid-schizoid" is used to describe abnormal behavior with the context of mental health.
Paranoid-Schizoid in Child Development
M Klein uses two terms in her description of early childhood development, "paranoid-schizoid" and "depressive" within context of the term "position", which is defined as "a set of psychic functions that correspond to a given phase of development, always appearing during the first year of life, but which are present at all times thereafter and can be reactivated at any time."
Within context of Klein's description, the word "development" is a generalized term consisting of infantile psychic life i.e. development of the mind of a child during the first year of life.
During the first year of life, a child first begins and completes the paranoid-schizoid position of development. If her environment and up-bringing meet her requirements, then she passes through the depressive position.
Within context of the state of mind of children, the paranoid-schizoid position develops from birth to 4-6 months of age. Between 4-6 months of age, the child develops the depressive position. However, it is normal to move between the two positions though most children's minds will operate in the paranoid-schizoid position.
Klein developed the Object Relations Theory to hypothesize how children view objects in relationship to themselves, mainly as part objects in early childhood.
Within context of childhood development, paranoid refers to the central paranoid anxiety which is defined as "the fear of invasive malevolence". Schizoid refers to the central defense mechanism, splitting, "the vigilant separation of the good object from the bad object."
In healthy childhood development, the child splits its external world, its objects and itself into two categories: good and bad". By doing so, he incorporates attitudes or ideas learned about these two categories into his personality unconsciously, and identifies with the good.
Good consists of love, loving and gratification; bad consists of hate, persecution and frustration.
In this way, splitting is used by the child to protect the good from being destroyed by the bad.
With growing maturity, the child will experience her mother as pleasant and beneficial.
Through maturation, the paranoid-schizoid position is replaced by the depressive position in the child's mind as he becomes more able to tolerate frustration and hold onto the good object for increasing periods.
Thus enabled to accept his bad impulses without fear that these impulses will destroy it, a more reasonable view of the self and object as possessing both good and bad attributes, leads to the greater integration and maturity of the depressive position.
"Depressive and paranoid-schizoid modes of experience continue to intermingle throughout the first few years of childhood."
Commentary on the Term Paranoid-Schizoid Within The Medical Context
With respect to children, these two positions of child development are not psychiatric conditions. Both "paranoid-schizoid" and "depressive" refer to states of mind in normal childhood development. Thus, they are not medical conditions in need of fixing.
Even when paranoid-schizoid and depressive positions may be used by the child in later years in reaction to stress both within the family (i.e. sibling rivalry, misbehavior, etc) and outside the family, they are mind tools being used by the child to defend her psyche.
Rather than using medication to treat fears and anxieties, it would be more beneficial for parents to model adaptive coping strategies for the child to give her more ways of dealing with anxiety and fear.
References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranoid-schizoid_position http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Object_relations_theory#Paranoid-schizoid_position http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Object_relations_theory#Depressive_position http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Object_Relations_Theory Analysis of Kelly Jacobson's The Origin of Mouthstones: http://excavatingalfred.blogspot.com/2009/12/object-relations-every-person-has.html
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