7 Questions
What is the Paranoid-Schizoid Position?
The Paranoid-Schizoid Position is a way of organizing experiences that includes both paranoid feelings of being persecuted and a splitting of internal and external objects into the good and the bad.
When does the Paranoid-Schizoid Position develop?
The Paranoid-Schizoid Position develops during the first 3 or 4 months of life, during which time the ego’s perception of the external world is subjective and fantastic rather than objective and real.
What are the infant's desires towards the breast during the Paranoid-Schizoid Position?
The infant desires to control the breast by devouring and harboring it, but also has fantasies of damaging the breast by biting, tearing, or annihilating it.
Why does the infant adopt the Paranoid-Schizoid Position?
The infant adopts the paranoid-schizoid position to control the good breast and to fight off its persecutors.
What happens to the ego during the Paranoid-Schizoid Position?
The ego splits itself, retaining parts of its life and death instincts while deflecting parts of both instincts onto the breast.
What is the biological predisposition of infants during the Paranoid-Schizoid Position?
Infants have a biological predisposition to attach a positive value to nourishment and the life instinct and to assign a negative value to hunger and the death instinct.
How does the preverbal splitting of the world into good and bad serve as a prototype for subsequent development?
Preverbal splitting of the world into good and bad serves as a prototype for the subsequent development of ambivalent feelings toward a single person.
Study Notes
- The Paranoid-Schizoid Position is a way of organizing experiences that includes both paranoid feelings of being persecuted and a splitting of internal and external objects into the good and the bad.
- It develops during the first 3 or 4 months of life, during which time the ego’s perception of the external world is subjective and fantastic rather than objective and real.
- The infant desires to control the breast by devouring and harboring it, but also has fantasies of damaging the breast by biting, tearing, or annihilating it.
- The infant adopts the paranoid-schizoid position to control the good breast and to fight off its persecutors.
- The ego splits itself, retaining parts of its life and death instincts while deflecting parts of both instincts onto the breast.
- Infants have a biological predisposition to attach a positive value to nourishment and the life instinct and to assign a negative value to hunger and the death instinct.
- Preverbal splitting of the world into good and bad serves as a prototype for the subsequent development of ambivalent feelings toward a single person.
- Conscious ambivalence does not capture the essence of the paranoid-schizoid position.
- Adults who adopt the paranoid-schizoid position may experience themselves as a passive object rather than an active subject.
- People may project their unconscious paranoid or positive feelings onto others as a means of avoiding their own destruction or worthlessness.
Are you curious about the developmental stages of the human psyche? Test your knowledge of the paranoid-schizoid position, which is a crucial stage in the development of the ego. This quiz will assess your understanding of the infant's perception of the external world, including its desire to control the breast and the splitting of internal and external objects into good and bad. Explore how this early stage can influence adult behavior and relationships. Challenge yourself with this thought-provoking quiz that delves into the complexities of
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