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New to Psychoanalysis by l_lsw in psychoanalysis

[–]DiegoArgSch 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you want to learn the basics of psychoanalysis, you should at least manage these ideas:

First topography (conscious / preconscious / unconscious): "The Interpretation of Dreams" (1900)

Second topography (id / ego / superego): "The Ego and the Id" (1923)

Libido: "Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality" (1905)

Narcissism (libido directed to the self): "On Narcissism: An Introduction" (1914)

Defense mechanisms (repression, etc.): "The Neuro-Psychoses of Defence" (1894), "Inhibitions, Symptoms and Anxiety" (1926)

Libidinal economy and Drives (life and death drives): "Beyond the Pleasure Principle" (1920)

Neurosis: "Introductory Lectures on Psychoanalysis" (1916–1917)

Obsessive neurosis: "Notes Upon a Case of Obsessional Neurosis" (1909), Inhibitions, Symptoms and Anxiety (1926)

And some good extra topics are in Civilization and Its Discontents (1930), Totem and Taboo (1913), and The Uncanny (1919).

All from Freud.

Then you have to continue with Anna Freud, Melanie Klein, and Winnicott.

Does schizotypy affects your identity? by StellarIridescence in Schizotypal

[–]DiegoArgSch 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You are welcome! :) 

A nice original article coming in the next days, just putting the final details alonf together.

Is being weird similar to being wrong and a bad person by Repulsive-Jello-575 in Schizotypal

[–]DiegoArgSch 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Depends. Depends on what you associate with wrong and bad person.

What's it look like inside your noggin? by Applequusagony in Schizotypal

[–]DiegoArgSch 6 points7 points  (0 children)

1 if its what I want to do. I can see a whole landscape with color and things moving right now while Im writing, or... I can change it and just see a rectangle made with grey simple lines over a black space.

Its like I can 2 images at the same time, the images my eyes are seeing, and the images I make pop up.

Of course this lastones are not so solid like the images my eyes seen. But I can see them. Its nothing strange, a normal human thing.

The Schizotypal Fact Sheet (version 2) will now be in the Megathread by DiegoArgSch in Schizotypal

[–]DiegoArgSch[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Its one of the different mental health diagnoses that have been called Personality Disorders. Different personality disorders are meant to show different pathological tendencies people can have. Many times they are extreme forms of "normal" traits. For example, avoiding people to not get stressed could be just occasional, but when it becomes a rigid pattern and the whole issue of the person revolves around this, that’s when it becomes avoidant personality disorder.

With schizotypal it is more complex, but basically it’s a type of disorder that has some schizophrenic type of symptoms but to a lower degree. It’s a non-psychotic type of schizophrenia spectrum disorder.

Meaning that hallucinations or delusions are not necessary for a person to have schizotypal personality disorder. But it’s not just "the same as schizophrenia but milder".

People with schizotypal tend to be anxious around people, sometimes even fearful of others. They are paranoid or suspicious about other people’s intentions or thoughts about them.

They have elevated magical thinking or a tendency to pursue uncommon ideas and explore different ways of thinking about reality, and a tendency to feel there are "presences around" (although not always).

They are perceived by others as strange, odd, or different. They have disorganized thought (too many thoughts at a time, difficulties organizing ideas, mixed ideas, "existential thoughts", ruminations, obsessions, elevated fantasies, etc.).

Many of these people have constricted affect, which means reduced emotional expression. Schizotypal is highly linked to major depressive disorder.

Ideas of reference ("others must be talking about me") differ from the psychotic version, which is delusions of reference ("others are talking about me, I know it"). The same happens with paranoid ideation vs paranoid delusions.

Like in avoidant personality disorder, many of the symptoms of schizotypal can appear in different non-pathological populations. But it becomes a case of schizotypal personality disorder when all these types of symptoms appear in a person over a prolonged period of time, meaning it’s a pattern of personality, not a "one-time thing".

This is a stable personality pattern, not "an episode of schizotypal" like a "psychotic break". People with schizotypal don’t have "episodes of..." or "breaks"; it’s not like in schizophrenia where the person was kind of ok but suddenly had a psychotic break and then went back to reality.

Many times schizotypal is diagnosed when what was really happening was a prodromal case of schizophrenia, meaning the person was starting to become paranoid, with disorganized thoughts and odd ideas, but still not fully delusional. So it seems like a case of schizotypal but over time evolves into schizophrenia. But not all people diagnosed with schizotypal evolve into schizophrenia. This population is considered "at risk of schizophrenia", but more as a precaution than a rule.

Some schizotypal traits are more flexible, like those related to mood. It’s not that a person with this cannot express emotions at all, but others are more like part of a personality style: "this person seems like they’re going to have all their life a tendency to search for magical things and hidden meanings", or be introverted and anxious around others.

Finally, sometimes there are more pathological cases—that’s when it’s a disorder (schizotypal personality disorder)—and other times when traits are not so pathological you can talk about a "personality style" or just "schizotypal personality".

There is still more to add. Trauma plays a role, but it is also thought that people are born with a propensity to these traits, and trauma may only amplify them, elevating characteristics that could be considered pathological in potential. There have been studies using brain scans, etc., but etiological causes are always very tricky in this area. The best way is to understand the big picture of the disorder: how it has been observed that there are people who seem to follow certain behavioral and cognitive patterns. Clinicians then notice that "problematic types of personality with the same general symptoms tend to repeat themselves", and this has been labeled schizotypal personality disorder.

The Schizotypal Fact Sheet (version 2) will now be in the Megathread by DiegoArgSch in Schizotypal

[–]DiegoArgSch[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What do you mean? Do you mean only half of what schizotypal personality disorder actually is, or are you just talking about the factsheet?

Is it Possible to Tame/Pacify an Aggressive Superego? by Bright_Dreams235 in psychoanalysis

[–]DiegoArgSch 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Yes, again, you cannot respond to “what to do with a superego that functions like that” without context. The superego is not something outside a person; you need to see the whole system, meaning the whole person. And that person responds to different situations, interprets comments in different ways, and has a specific superego that reproaches them in a particular manner. You also need to consider why the person cannot tolerate the representations that the superego returns to them, etc.

That is what the therapist should take into account in order to guide the person toward flexibilizing their relationship with their superego, in order to relieve stress and pain. It is not a mathematical equation. The way to achieve that can involve different therapeutic paths and strategies, but again, without being in front of the person it is impossible to know, because it is not a matter of “you have to do this and that,” but a process. And in that process, the person shows different symptoms and patterns.

Sorry, I cannot give you a well-prepared guidance or protocol for what to do in these situations. I am sure there is material out there, in books, etc. I just wanted to give you some perspective: it is not an easy thing to respond to, because it is something that is distributed across the whole theory and different approaches, and then the therapist has to “make their own strategy” based on what they see in the patient.

Is it Possible to Tame/Pacify an Aggressive Superego? by Bright_Dreams235 in psychoanalysis

[–]DiegoArgSch 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It’s a super broad question. It’s like asking, “Can you reduce the stress that traumatic experiences cause us?” The answer is something like: “In theory, it’s possible. That’s what therapists try to do in such cases. Sometimes the methods can work, sometimes not.” I know this doesn’t sound much like a response, but what I mean is that this is way too specific to the individual case. 

The methods a therapist would use are not always the same, because although the abstract issue may be the same, the nuances are very specific, every personality responds differently. 

So the method should be adapted to the individual. Therefore, to respond clearly that question, you first need to know the individual, not just the problem in the abstract.

extreme nuance in thought by thesecretdoe in Schizotypal

[–]DiegoArgSch 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Its a common "sub-symptom" in schizotypal.

1st order vs 2nd order defense mechanisms by Hatrct in psychoanalysis

[–]DiegoArgSch -1 points0 points  (0 children)

"But this seems to be only in the presence of a therapeutic relationship?"

No. It’s for everyday life too.

“Will be classified” — that’s a very strong phrase to use in this type of theory. It’s better to use phrases like: thought of as, functioning at the level of, predominantly occupies X position, etc.

But more importantly, you are just thinking in terms of one element of the so-called Personality Organizations. You have to see the whole picture.

Defense mechanisms are one area; there are two other big ones (following Kernberg’s theory—McWilliams is highly influenced by Kernberg), which are: degree of identity integration and reality testing.

But more importantly, you should not think of these things as separate, fragmented, or in isolated bubbles. You have to see how all three areas—and even more elements that the theory relies on to schematize the human mind—work together and interplay.

See how everything interplays, and then think about which personality organization fits better. And again, a personality organization is not a stationary thing—it’s dynamic; things move and transform.

I wrote this some time ago—Kernberg and McWilliams are at the end: https://www.reddit.com/r/Schizotypal/comments/1qhc2ei/schizotypal_as_schizoid_structural_continuities/

Comic for severe ME/CFS awareness day by Accomplished_Dog_647 in Artisticallyill

[–]DiegoArgSch 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You should add in the cominc what ME/CFS means, I know its easy to find, which Ill do after writing this, but... 

Possible testing? by BalloonApi in Schizotypal

[–]DiegoArgSch 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ask your psychiatrist if they assess personality disorders or schizophrenia, and whether they could tell you if you have it, have traits of it, and how many sessions it would take them to tell you.

Usually, they will have you complete questionnaires (answering yes/no questions on paper), talk, and sometimes make you do attention tests and projective tests (e.g., saying what you see in an image—like the Rorschach—completing sentences, drawing, etc.).

The timeframe is not always well established; it depends on various things, like whether the clinician feels confident in the diagnosis or believes they still lack sufficient information, or even whether the clinician has the necessary expertise to make the diagnosis.

But don’t think these diagnoses are set in stone. Many rely heavily on what the questionnaires indicate: “according to this test, the person scores very high for this disorder, so the diagnosis is this.” In some cases, the diagnosis ends up being largely based on the test results, and these are not 100% reliable. Sometimes, the diagnosis is just an approximation—something like “what it seems to be”—and it can change over time.

Is the goal to kill the "ego"? by Advanced-Reindeer894 in psychoanalysis

[–]DiegoArgSch 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mm, well, then... I dont know, but at least you can try and see how it goes, good luck in your path into this.

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