ABSTRACT
This chapter explores symbol formation as it reflects the nature of the infantile link between primitive ego and the primary object. It suggests the perversion is a component of envy and represents a breakdown in symbol formation. Segal describes symbols as a three-term relation in which the symbol acts as a link between the thing symbolised and a person; in analytic terms, these are the ego, the symbol, and the object. In describing perverse relationships between parts of the self, R. Steiner states that: in treatment, in order to liberate the healthy sane part of the patient, people have to understand the whole picture. Envy causes pain, discomfort, and shame because it inhibits the capacity to love. Envy in relation to pathological organisations within the personality is a very complex set of dynamics arising out of narcissistic injury, self envy, and shame.
