ABSTRACT
Henri Rey was one of the first authors to describe the precursors of the processes of reparation in schizoid and borderline patients. Manic forms of reparation are predominantly seen in narcissistic patients. In comparing the primitive precursors with more mature forms of reparation they seem to promote continual damage to the object, thus leading to a vicious circle. Certain manifestations of the repetition compulsion can thus be seen as desperate, failed attempts at reparation. The chapter describes the role of the superego into the processes of reparation and their success or failure. It looks at those processes that make reparation possible in some cases and block it permanently in others. The chapter explores that primitive attempts at reparation are mainly distinguishable from mature reparation by being relatively concrete, serving primarily to control anxiety, not having a real capacity to acknowledge separation, all of which lead to a pseudo-acceptance of reality.
