ABSTRACT

Frustration, according to Freud, enforces the installation of the reality principle (‘Formulations on the Two Principles of Mental Functioning’ [1911b, SE 12], pp. 218–218). But the psychotic with his hatred of reality evades the installation of the reality principle. His intolerance of frustration makes for intolerance of reality and contributes to his hatred of reality. This leads to reinforcement of projective identification as a method of evacuation. This in turn leads to dreams that are evacuations, not introjectory operations—hence ‘dreams’ of the psychotic, which are really evacuations of such α as he has been unable to prevent. The dream-elements in the psychotic dream are really the discarded residue of α-elements that have survived mutilations of α.