ABSTRACT
Disturbances in differentiation between ego and object lead to disturbances in differentiation between the symbol and the object and therefore to concrete thinking characteristic of psychoses. Projective identification plays an important role in symbol formation, particularly in the earliest stages. Numbers become the original object in the symbolic equation as described by H. Segal, but also become a sublimation and protection, for as numbers gradually represent the original object, they can be treated aggressively. The symbol formations that emerge with the passage into the depressive position not only permit the child to become more interested in outer reality because of the need to repair the damaged object through sublimation, but also permit abstract thought processes to occur. The object is saved, the ego can differentiate inner from outer reality, and symbols, which act to prevent hostile impulses and reduce super-ego guilt, intensify the child's interest in the outer world.
