Stage II. [The beginning of a functional Ego-"The self forms."

The Ego Stages as reflected in the Szondi Test. "The Ego is your steering device."

The Unfolding of the Ego.

Normally, Ego development takes place according to a detailed six stage schema as proposed by Susan Deri, "Introduction to the Szondi Test" [Grune & Strattion, N.Y. 1949. Her order is followed here, but the charactizations are arbitrarily revised into capsulizations, for our study purposes.

1. (k0 p-)

Adualism: The indistinction between the ego and the other (up to one year). [See J. Paiget ] [In the adult it is called the 'paranoid Ego' and an indication of a regressive thought mode.

2. (k+ p-)

Childish Omnipotence: The magical-autistical omnipotence (pre-oedipian period). [See Melanne Kline's, not so benign view of infancy.] [See, J. Lacan," Mirror Phase"]

3. (± -)

Beginning accomidation, turbulence, resistance. (First Oedipian Separations) [See Winnicot ] [See Toilet Training, Early Care Takers.] [The "Restless Ego" of many talented Adults.]

4. (- -)

Aceptance, accomidation (The pressure to conform and the social rewards, the latency period. [The Drill Ego of Adults-Suggesting that many never fully go beyound this mode of Ego development.]

5. (- 0) If aceptance and accomidation is successfil, the start of adolescence the young person may then try to replicate that which was accepted earler ['The Mild Compulive Ego' when found in profiles, one or two decades later. ]

6. (- +)

Adolescence. Mating impluse asserts on several levels and the desire previously repressed reaches consciouness backed by the newly aquired physical ability to do so. That this will meet with many set backs and frustrations, awell known feature of passing through adolesence. For many it will be the first serious Ego failure and the overwhelemed Ego may move to a kind of grid lock crises [k± p±] or what seems like a tunning off of thinking and feeling [k0 p0], or some will move back to older Ego settings with which they feel more secure however childish it may seem. Many show an appearance of [k+] and as well an awareness of depression [d+] as they restart a new search for fullfillment. In adults it is the 'Fully compulsive Ego'.

Comment.

For us as students of human nature, we ask what is it beyond this theorical passage of the Ego that will address our desire to understand the larger issues and concerns in respect to ultimate behaviour? What can we by this Szondi Test thatoffers insight in those humans who develop atypical or outright abnormal forms of existance?

The best answer I can offer now is, we can recast almost everything you previoully believed to be psychologically caused, in the Szondi coding system, but our new metaphors also leave many who's and why's awaiting anwers. The metaphors of the settings, and the strivings and what they represent are crafted from the unconscious choices by tested persons. This is done without extracting a verbal inventory, in fact you need not even speak the language of the tested subject, as long is he follows the choice procedure correctly.

WELCOME LIITLE GUY!

We sincerly hope your nerve structures are shaping up to accept and start building your Ego, and sarting at Zero, it is a passage every human has to make.

Let us go back to our test subject who yield this Ego setting now-(no longer an infant but perhaps a young adult has in his unconscious choice making [it is unconscious because he being tested without knowing what the reagent photos means and how choices will be interpreted by his test administrator or later by a 'blind to the case history reader', for validation.

[k0 p-] means this subject's choice making at this time avoids the [k] (Genetic line: Catatonic photos) is taken to be as if, an analog of that part of his Ego which is '[k]' in its striving nature. At the same time, he chooses as dislike '[p]' (Genetic line Paranoid). We know from empiric and clinical studies that this dislike of the [p] photo type belongs to those who out-shift their needs and strivings with little rational censorship (and jumping ahead the [p], photos, if liked, represents rational censoring and that would be one, who rationally lives out of their needs and strivings.)

The [p-] component when existing as set with [k0] then its strivings effects are magnified, as it represents an absence of the balance that choices [k+], [k-] or [k±] would have represented,when the [p] has a decided direction.

[k] genic line photos corresponds to the " narcissistic reservoir" of earlier developed introjected love objects and subsequent modifications whose influence lingers as a bridge to the persons in later life. Here in the case of [k0 p-] they are lived out by "immediate" projection. By "immediate" we mean that needs are satisfied so promptly that the subject is not even aware of the process through which he projected the presence of his needs, into the environment. He has no awareness of having given such signals to the necessary object for the need-gratification and the need transfer seems to form automatically. This can range from useful harmless projections or when severely unbalanced, represent major pursuit delusions characteristic of the paranoid mind sick. For your study, you are reminded that all such things are on a continuum and you don't jump to radical opinions, unless all the related facts support such an opinion and you are qualified to make such a judgement.

In discussing the later stages of ego-development, we need to mention the degree to which actual environment and reality reality-testing, shapes the settings of the Ego.

A person cannot use for themselves an Ego setting greater than the most superior one they experienced in their past development process. ( A point often forgotten) In many cases,under stress and pressures, internal and external; the effect of the pressure is usually indicated by an Ego shift to setting characteristic of earlier modes of adjustment.

The Sch setting [k0 p-] under discussion in this view is clearly one of a weak and child like modes of thinking, feeling and acting. Often when physically ill, we see the most superior of persons act like children.

The term adualistic, or lack of dualism between subject and object, has been borrowed from observations of J. Piaget who uses the term to characterize the primitive state of undifferentiating between the child and the rest of the world. This is the stage at which the child "thinks" that the whole world feels as he does. Pain is experienced not as something personal, but as something experienced everywhere: the rest of the world "hurts" too. He does not know the realistic limits of his body; for example, there is no difference between his relationship to his own toe and his relationship to his crib. Although this primitive, real confusion disappears rather early in life. The differentiation being prompted by frustrations-much of this primitive animistic thinking can be observed in very young children. In addition, it can be observed in primitives and in certain psychotics.

Yet, some adults in processes of artistic creativity may hold regularly to this setting and even some in scientific thinking. Some appear to able to turn it on when they need it. Some as is well known, seek aspects and qualities that once belonged to their own childhood Ego settings, by using drugs and alcohol, which may short term be useful to them, but long term works against them.

There are occasions on which one just "feels" something is true. These "mystical" feelings are typically functions of the [k0 p-] constellation, and are brought about by means of unconscious projection. Some can rationalize ‘logical’ explanations for these [p-] intuitive insights or any misperceptions with ease.

Individuals with [k0 p-], when they show no symptoms of pathology-are extremely sensitive in their reactions and to environmental conditions. Here we see it as representing by the k0] as a weak ego or regressive setting. Although many may react sensitively to subtle outward signals of the unconscious of other individuals, and strike up relations with others easily, nevertheless, because of their lack of conscious insight and ability to activate the [k] powers they often appear unable to follow consistently their keen intuitions.

Before you jump to the conclusion that it is always pathological or always healthy, you need to be aware that for some this influence of the unconscious instinctive prompting can result in certain positive forms of sublimated activity, socialization and occupational usage, or its negative forms self-destructive perverse and criminal.

Generally, when this ego-setting is consistently found, it is in subjects whose work does not involve any form of artistic or intel-lectual sublimation, but whose occupation is strictly on the level of simple task physical activities, which in turn they blame on others, the system, ect.

However noting that there can be exceptions, its appearance in the profiles of the maladjusted, the criminal or the regressing adult should warn one that further investigation into all the facts is needed.

This Ego settings and the next one, [k+ p-] are seldom found in adjusted adolescents or young adults, as they are still capable of using their best Ego setting for their life situations.

Stage II. [The beginning of a functional Ego-"The self forms." [k+] with [p-] We theorize that at the end of infancy along with the cortical development needed to walk. talk, and conform to the toilet training and the first separation -dependency crises. That, in this passage (most observers would agree) an early Ego seeks to assert itself. One that emerges with increasing power to act on its own against the demands to act within parental constraints. Because of the reality of its near total psychological and material dependency, he surrenders in time, to what is demanded. Here we go even more theoretical, (loosely extending this. In early childhood the [k+] suggest already the child is using its introjective power to imitate, borrow and repeat clues from others as to satisfy its desires and security needs. As it does so, it bit by bit gives up parts of its earlier infantile omnipotence. In which he saw himself as the center of existence. The results of which, can be conflicted and may be maintained into adult life. [The basis of one theory of causation of the neurosis.] When we can actually start using the experimental test on three year olds, and older, we assume the introjective power is one of the key features that shows that the child has been launched into speech and learning and will usually move on, when entering school to a more powerful Ego control form. In our testological schema frequently, [k± p-]. [k±p+] and for some [k-p-] or [k-p+] as the world seems to separate into people [k] genic and those [p] genic, Most maintaining the dominant strivings for the rest of the course of their lives. On the bases of our experimental test we may decide the principal striving issues, of the Ego setting [[k+ p- ] as we did with the paranoid genic strivings backward linked to the clinical empirics known to be part certain neurotic and psychotic symptom complexes, particularly ones with symptom features very similar to the childhood modes of thinking, feeling and acting. Part of what we said of [k0 p-] also applies to [k+ p-] The major difference is the child has gained some control over its perceptions. The issue of the quality of the control gained, arises when we look at the test findings of specific groups.

Child. In children this setting coinciding with the use of the word "I" as reference to themselves. And "I want-" And a desire in play act out snippets what they see as possibilities for themselves. Being in play, Little mothers, daddies, teachers, soldiers, cow boys flyers, car, ship and air plane. This is universally encouraged in most child rearing cultures.

Adolescent. In adolescents and young adults [k+p-] may reappear following a time when a different Ego setting existed. We assume this event represents a mode of dealing with sexual strivings and ending of family dependency issues. For many the issue of being or finding their own self, emerges intermingled with occupational choice, love preferences and symptom formation.

Adult Narcissistic It maintenance in adult life can be understood as parallel attitude to that of child's reaction against accepting the limitations of reality and his fight to preserve some degree of the infantile omnipotence where; " I and my needs are all that is important."

Sociopath Criminals. Certain sociopath criminals show regularly this setting, some appear to by their own desire or by the assistance of drugs and alcohol, to assume this Ego setting prior to their criminal destructive acts. Unfortunately, we cannot in every such person tested, after the fact, demonstrate what the dynamics existed at the moment of the event. When in a jail environment the reaction formation may in some cases mobilize their defenses and our tests shows an ordinary person, looking for a way out of his predicament.

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