ABSTRACT
Scrutiny's passionate gaze is directed inward and outward, towards self, other, and the others—the whole group, society at large, and the universe itself. It has been a focus in myth, theology, ethnology, political philosophy, social and aesthetic criticism, and empirical developmental research. In this chapter, the authors investigate scrutiny through the lens of the container—contained. They illustrate how scrutiny may, as a nuclear idea, come to serve as both the container and the contained, and, also, how the very experience of scrutiny may drive or inhibit the development of nuclear ideas. For scrutiny has been, and remains, ever-present and consequential—potentially harmful, or life affirming and, especially, therapeutic. Punishment, exile, death; praise, status, creative achievements, and personal growth are possible outcomes. The authors organise the material around the four dimensions of a nuclear idea: experiential dimension, symbolic dimension, affective dimension and metapsychological dimension.
