Stage V. [k- p0]
The Ego of 'successful repression', The mild compulsive Ego. The Ego of neurosis prone adults.
The generally smooth passage through latency seems remarkably that there was so much unrest before and then adjustment problems and various self-image distortions seemingly appearing out of nowhere once this stage is passed through has always puzzled parents and child psychologists alike. We do nor claim to have all the answers, but can report the Szondi testologic data as it is. Permitting you to form your own conclusions.
The minus k, open p constellation in the Sch Ego Vector is, together with the minus k, minus p, the most frequent constellation in children between the ages of nine and twelve, and continues to occur in many subjects during puberty and into adult life.
The obvious difference of this setting from the stage IV, [k- p-] is the absent [ p-] This lack indicates that the repressive strivings corresponding to the [k-] are therefor more effective. The Szondi empiric is when a Vector a decided choice pared with an avoidant (i.e. a no choice you have a uni-tendancy result by definition is an unbalanced striving situation, which in the case is the [k-] strivings and as the main striving in [k-] are one's to negation, acquiescing and repression. the importance of this finding is significant.
Children between nine and twelve years of age, and not particularly, neurotic children, who show mild compulsiveness. Children of this age are very likely to be exacting and pedantic in regard to details; some may for time be preoccupation with moralistic and religious problems which often relate more to the Szondi Paroxysmal/Affect Vector coded as capital (P) strivings []e+] or []e-] at that time entering awareness but ere also become an Sch Ego problem.
Many children in this age show an eagerness for factual knowledge and learning about the world in general which, by its persistence bears the characteristics of a compulsive drive. One well-known manifestation of this "drive to know" is the excessive amount of reading during prepuberty; reading about practically everything: love stories as well as books on science, or descriptions of far-away countries and travels. [Deri]
The conflict is due to the discrepancy existing between the newly acquired strength of the sexual impulses and the fact that the ego is still too weak to assimilate these needs on a more realistic level. This discrepancy results in the compulsive type of defense mechanism by which the child attempts to deflect his sexual curiosity into a general curiosity about the world. (This mechanism can lead to hobbies like stamp or coin collecting.) Yet even though this compulsive defense mechanism might be based on the same dynamic processes as are the symptoms of the compulsive neurotics, it cannot be called neurotic in the clinical sense of the term since there are very good realistic reasons why a child of this age cannot actually give way to his rising sexual drives. Thus, resorting to compulsive defense-mechanism, under these circumstances, can be considered an acceptable and realistic self-defense, indicating no particular tendency for neurosis at a later age. [Deri]
Adults whom yield the [k-p0] setting often end up with relationship problems because of their compulsive efforts to control others. They may find satisfaction in occupations which serve this purpose. [Clinical Empiric]
Whether or not these subjects seem successful in their work, they are often inhibited in their "private" emotional life. They are usually unable really to love because of their basic inhibition against allowing themselves to feel emotions at all. [Deri[
The age groups in which this constellation is frequent include first of all prepuberty, but also puberty and the beginning of adolescence. From adolescence on, the frequency of minus k, open p decreases gradually, and occurs least frequently in old age. On the basis of our findings, it appears that this mechanism of active repression is probably too energy-consuming for old age, when the use of the "opposite" ego mechanism, namely the open k, minus p, shows preponderance, this latter being a much more "natural" mechanism involving no effort on the part of the ego to inhibit the projection of one's needs into the environment. [Deri]
This Ego setting as the regular occurring one, one is not able to decide the issue of normal or neurotic, it being safer to say, there are many different normals. The next stage overwrites that viewpoint, in that its strivings generally associated with outcomes to strong as to make any claim of total normalcy dificult.
Stage VI. [k- p+]
The fully compulsive Ego. The common adult neurotic Ego. What enters awareness is hard to ignore. Hard headed adult.
In most cases, [k- p+] Sch setting follows [k- p0]. The interpretation corresponding to these two setting reflect a different situation within the Ego. The [k-] genic striving is mostly stripped of its introjective function and its Ego expanding power and repression appears as the main organizing aspect of the ego, and here the [k-] factor, fights against acceptance of the polar strivings now entering more directly awareness represented in the [p+] strivings. This is possible also an other way of saying instinctive pressures are seeking satisfaction by acting out and/or sublimation, socialization, occupation or symptom. These being in Szondi's view the result of ancestor set genic drives.
The personality characteristics in individuals giving [k- p0] and [k- p+] overlap in such features as the willingness to conform with expected social norms, and their devotion to control over themselves, over others and their environment.
This [k- p+] Ego setting one of a strong conflict situation in the ego common to late puberty and in adolescence.
The concept of sexuality has broken through barriers to consciousness, and children in late puberty and early adolescence enjoy talking about it. Their conversation, however, shows many mannerisms which border sometimes on compulsiveness. It seems as though they would attempt to dispel their deep-seated anxieties through the "magic" of the words. The discrepancy between their verbal "wordliness" and their actual awkwardness in many real life situations is considerable. adualistic stage) the child experiences his newly acquired ego as omnipotent, and does not perceive the limitations imposed by the environment.
In adults, this ego setting still refers to the same adolescent-like personality characteristics. It is given often by adults who are aware [p+]feel that they have not lived up to their denied expectations [k-].
Their level of aspirations are [p+] aware projected but are compulsively inhibited by their reparations[k-] which seems to them that their aspirations are always higher than their level of their achievement.
The corresponding feeling of failure is independent of the realistic value of their achievements or of their success as judged by their environment. For individuals with continuous [ k- p+] the characteristic trait is this feeling that whatever they have achieved is not enough. Some will drive themselves to extreme performances, and we note this setting is an embedded part of the work-a-holic Ego setting [k± p+] and have strivings that move in the same direction.
This is many times the beginning picture of patients who undergo psychoanalysis. Susan Deri see it as representing the fight between the superego and the id impulses and the behavior of these subjects is usually highly social and they consciously attempt to conform. However, the conforming behavior of these individuals is dynamically quite different from that of subjects with the "disciplined" ego (k- p-] as subjects with the "disciplined ego" do not experience the process of conforming as a burden. They take it as the most natural course of events, and do not experience their own contradictory tendencies until-occasionally-these tendencies break through in a crude form.
The distribution of [k- p+] ego-picture is fairly even among the various occupational groups. It as would be expected is found most frequently in compulsive neurotics. Also it is frequently found in psychosomatic and hypochondriac cases, which perhaps suggests that repression [k-] and [p+] or [p-] modes of projection plays some part in these disorders not yet fully explored.
The most characteristic age for Sch [k-p+] is late puberty and adolescence. Following these ages it decreases gradually in frequency. The explanation for this most probably hinges on the fact that this ego setting, because of the theoretical polar 'dissonance' this represents. (Szondi called a diagonal split.) We are justified in interpreting it as both representing a inner conflicting situations [k-] and over or exaggerated [p+] idealization of whatever aspects that enters awareness. (The term suggested is pseudo-obsession in the hypochondrical cases seems useful.)
When we speak of Sch Ego setting as occuring within 'Stages' it seems no longer appropiate when the appearance of specific diagnostic classifcations, or are rare or vague. Perhaps Susan Deri did not declare [ k± p+] to be Stage VII for some such reasons. Or perphaps adolescene, and its aberations are so common as to be considered a normal disorder. One, characrerized by hormonal. psychological, physical charges, each potentially upsetting some of the earler system balances.
[k± p+]
Along with the change the many (not every) adolesent, starts to like the genic line [p] parnoid photos that he disliked throughout his childhood and in doing so begins to rationalize everthing with an aware and often verbal process and sometimes obcessional manner.
This being more or less the opposite of the [p-] mode of unconscious out-shifting used throughout most of childhood and sometimes 'comfortable[p] strivings ]greyed out or not accessable that avoiding the [p]genic line photos represents.
This [p+] is accompanied by a partial shift to liking of [k] genic line photos which suggests a return of narcissism, and also some of the strivings to restlessness that once belonged to the earlier, Stage III, [k± p-] which partially reasserts with [k±]. This may now call with some justification, the "Adolescent type" of narcissism. Later when gross adult narcissism is the focus of our test findings, we might say narcissism is narcissism, but that it plays out differently at different times in a persons life trajectory.
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